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 incident occurred during Man Utd's 2-1 defeat to Leeds, with Martinez receiving a red card after a brief hair pull on Dominic Calvert-Lewin, which was deemed a serious foul by the VAR. Carrick argued that the punishment was excessive, given the unintentional nature of the act.
'It's not a pull, it's not a tug, it's not aggressive; he merely touches it, and yet he's sent off,' Carrick told Sky Sports. The Argentine defender appeared perplexed as he left the pitch, having been grappling with Calvert-Lewin at the time of the incident. Carrick's frustration was compounded by the fact that this was the second consecutive game where his team had been adversely affected by such decisions.
Former Manchester United defender Jamie Carragher shared Carrick's sentiments, stating that the decision was overly harsh and did not align with the spirit of the game. In contrast, Gary Neville believed that Martinez should have been aware of the potential consequences of his actions, given the increased scrutiny on hair pulling incidents this season. The red card will result in Martinez serving a three-match ban.