Manchester United were down to ten men early in the second half when Lisandro Martinez was given his marching orders
Lisandro Martinez
Referee Paul Tierney showed Martinez a red card for pulling hair
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Lisandro Martinez will miss Manchester United's next three games following his red card for violent conduct against Leeds United. The Argentine defender was adjudged to have pulled Dominic Calvert‑Lewin's hair after an aerial duel.
Reacting at the time, Gary Neville said: "You are not getting away with a hair‑pull. Martínez is looking perplexed and confused, but a hair‑pull results in a red card these days. He knew what he was doing."
After the incident went unpunished, referee Paul Tierney was advised to go over to the pitch‑side VAR monitor to have a closer look. The Premier League Match Centre confirmed: "After VAR review, the referee issued a red card to Martinez for violent conduct."
In his announcement to the crowd, referee Tierney said: "After review, Manchester United 6 is guilty of pulling his hair - violent conduct. Final decision is red card."
The incident was deemed violent conduct, meaning the Argentine will now miss United's next three matches against Chelsea, Brentford and Liverpool.
Lisandro Martinez and Calvert-Lewin
The defender was sent off for hair-pulling
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This wasn't the first time a player has been sent off in the Premier League for hair‑pulling. Everton's Michael Keane was shown a red card during the 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers back in January.
Those three games are crucial in the Reds' battle to secure Champions League football, with several rivals around them.
A defeat for United would leave them level on 55 points with fourth‑placed Aston Villa, while fifth‑placed Liverpool sit on 52 after their win over Fulham.
Once that run is over, Martinez will be available again for the matches against Sunderland and Nottingham Forest, before the final‑day trip to Brighton.