Carrick Condemns 'Appalling' Red Card for Martinez: 'One of the Worst Decisions I've Ever Seen'

Manchester United's head coach, Michael Carrick, has lambasted the 'shocking' decision to send off Lisandro Martinez, describing it as one of the worst refereeing calls he has ever witnessed. The incident occurred during the team's 2-1 defeat to Leeds, when Martinez was given a red card for a brief and seemingly unintentional hair pull on Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Carrick expressed his outrage, stating that the punishment was overly harsh and that the referee had made a grave mistake. The Argentine defender now faces a three-match ban, and Carrick's frustration was palpable as he questioned the consistency of refereeing decisions. Former Manchester United player Jamie Carragher shared Carrick's sentiment, arguing that the rulebook should be applied with a degree of common sense and that the game should not be dictated solely by technicalities. Meanwhile, Gary Neville offered a dissenting opinion, suggesting that Martinez should have been aware of the heightened scrutiny surrounding hair pulling and that the red card was therefore justified.