Manchester United's head coach, Michael Carrick, has vehemently criticized the decision to send off Lisandro Martinez, labeling it as 'one of the worst' refereeing calls he has ever seen. The red card was issued after a brief, seemingly unintentional hair pull on Dominic Calvert-Lewin during the team's 2-1 defeat to Leeds at Old Trafford, which now results in a three-match ban for Martinez.
Carrick expressed his outrage, stating, 'It's not a pull, it's not a tug, it's not aggressive, he merely touches it and gets sent off. The most disturbing aspect is that the referee was instructed to overturn it as a clear and obvious error. It's shocking.' The incident has sparked debate, with Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher sympathizing with Carrick's viewpoint, while former Manchester United defender Gary Neville disagreed, believing Martinez should have been aware of the heightened scrutiny surrounding hair pulls this season.