Manchester United's head coach, Michael Carrick, lambasted the referee's decision to send off Lisandro Martinez, labeling it as 'one of the most atrocious' refereeing calls he has ever seen. The incident occurred during United's 2-1 loss to Leeds at Old Trafford, where Martinez was given a red card after a brief hair pull on Dominic Calvert-Lewin was spotted by VAR. Carrick argued that the foul was unintentional and not aggressive, and that the referee's decision to overturn the initial call was 'shocking.' The Argentine defender now faces a three-match ban, and Carrick expressed frustration that similar decisions have gone against his team in consecutive games.
Former Manchester United defender Jamie Carragher shared Carrick's sentiment, stating that the decision was too harsh and that the rulebook should be applied with common sense. However, Gary Neville disagreed, believing that Martinez should have been aware of the heightened scrutiny surrounding hair pulling this season and that the red card was warranted.