Manchester United's head coach, Michael Carrick, lambasted the 'shocking' 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 loss 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 aggressive; he merely touches it and gets sent off.' He also pointed out the inconsistency in refereeing decisions, citing an earlier incident where Calvert-Lewin caught a defender in the face with his arm, which was not penalized.
Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher sympathized with Carrick, emphasizing that the decision was overly harsh and that the rule, although clear, should be applied with consideration for the context of the game. Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, however, disagreed, believing that players should be aware of the strict stance on hair pulling this season and that Martinez should have known better.