Manchester United's head coach, Michael Carrick, has strongly criticized the decision to send off Lisandro Martinez, labeling it as 'one of the worst' refereeing calls he has ever seen. The incident occurred during the team's 2-1 defeat to Leeds, with Martinez receiving a red card for a brief, unintentional hair pull on Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Carrick expressed his outrage, stating that the punishment was excessively harsh and that the referee's decision to overturn the initial call was 'shocking.' The Argentine defender now faces a three-match ban, and Carrick believes that the decision will have a significant impact on the team.
The coach also felt that the officials missed another crucial call earlier in the game, when Calvert-Lewin caught defender Leny Yoro in the face with an arm, which could have altered the course of the match. Former Manchester United player Jamie Carragher shared Carrick's sentiments, saying that the red card was unwarranted and that the rulebook should not be applied so rigidly in such situations. However, not everyone agrees, with former Manchester United defender Gary Neville arguing that Martinez should have been aware of the heightened scrutiny surrounding hair pulling this season and that the red card was justified.