Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick called Lisandro Martinez’s sending off “one of the worst” he’s ever seen.
The incident happened just before the hour mark, with referee Paul Tierney not spotting anything in real time, but then pausing play after being advised by the VAR to review the footage.
The replay showed Manchester United defender Martinez and Dominic Calvert-Lewin battling for a header, and on the way down from the jump, the Argentinian grasped the Leeds striker’s ponytail.
Manchester United boss Michael Carrick furious at “worst decision” he’s ever seen
A pull of the hair under the rules is a straight red card, but it’s contentious in his case as there is little force in the pull, with some belief it was not the defender’s intention to go for his hair.
Nevertheless, Tierney opted to stick to the letter of the law and send Martinez off, with the straight red card meaning he will now be set to miss the next three games, which see the Red Devils face Chelsea, Brentford and then Liverpool.
Speaking after the game, a clearly angry Carrick said: “That decision was one of the worst I’ve ever seen.
“He [Calvert-Lewin] can throw his arms in Licha’s [Martinez’s] face, and then he’s sent off. Shocking.
“I don’t even know what it looks like. It’s not a pull, it’s not a tug, it’s not aggressive. He touches it and he gets sent off.”
The incident happened with the Red Devils already two goals down to Leeds, and they managed to bring it back to 2-1 through Casemiro, with 10 men on the pitch, but could not complete a comeback.
“Worse of all, he gets sent to overturn it, a clear and obvious error. Shocking. He is off balance and grappling,” Carrick continued. “We have got to be careful where the game is going. It is a shocking decision, absolutely shocking.”
Carrick hinted in his post-match press conference that the club may look to appeal the red card and get Martinez’s suspension reduced, but whether that’s a possibility remains to be seen.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, a three-game ban for that incident feels excessive, especially given it’s categorised as “violent conduct”, but Tierney only applied the letter of the law, so an appeal may prove tricky. Harry Maguire was serving a one-match suspension during this game, having been sent off against Bournemouth for denial of a goalscoring opportunity, but there is talk that his ban could be extended, after he was charged by the FA for “improper conduct” for allegedly using abusive or insulting language towards an official in the aftermath.
If Maguire is suspended for further games, and Martinez’s ban is upheld, it would see Carrick’s primary options at centre-back reduced to just Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven, with Matthijs de Ligt still nursing a long-term issue.
