Manchester United's head coach, Michael Carrick, has strongly criticized the decision to send off Lisandro Martinez in their 2-1 defeat to Leeds, describing it as one of the worst refereeing decisions he has ever seen. The incident occurred when Martinez briefly pulled Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair, prompting a VAR review and a subsequent red card from referee Paul Tierney. Carrick argued that the contact was unintentional and not aggressive, and that the decision to overturn the initial ruling was 'shocking'. Martinez now faces a three-match ban, and Carrick expressed frustration that similar incidents have gone against his team in recent games.
The decision has sparked debate among pundits, with Jamie Carragher sympathizing with Carrick's view, while Gary Neville believed that Martinez should have been more aware of the risks of hair-pulling given the current climate in the sport.