Manchester United lost 2-1 to Leeds on Monday night but the red card for Lisandro Martinez has dominated the conversation since the full-time whistle.
Referee Paul Tierney instructs Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez to leave the pitch after being sent off for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair
Referee Paul Tierney instructs Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez to leave the pitch after being sent off for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair
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Manchester United's quest for Champions League football suffered a setback on Monday night as they lost 2-1 to Leeds at Old Trafford. A nightmare first half saw United booed off after a Noah Okafor brace put Daniel Farke's side in control of the match.
With United searching for a route back into the game, their task was made more difficult when Lisandro Martinez was sent off. The Argentine defender was adjudged to have pulled the hair of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The England international admitted afterwards he flagged the incident to the referee.
After reviewing the incident on the VAR monitor, referee Paul Tierney dismissed the Argentine. Casemiro did pull a goal back for United after the red card but overcoming Leeds' man advantage proved too difficult. After the game, Michael Carrick slammed the decision to send Martinez off as 'one of the worst' he has seen.
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Meanwhile, captain Bruno Fernandes refused to comment on the referee's performance out of fear of repercussions from the FA. "I'm not talking about the referee," the captain said. "If I talk about the referee I'm going to get in very big trouble because the rules are different for everyone and they play different for everyone."
Despite United's clear frustration, pundits had mixed views on the incident and whether it was worth a red card or not. MEN Sport has rounded up what they had to say.
Gary Neville
The former United captain was on co-commentary for Sky Sports and backed the decision to send Martinez off. "Martinez looks perplexed and confused: 'What have I done?'" he said.
"He's pulled his hair and that results in a red card nowadays. He knows what he's doing there."
Rio Ferdinand
Ferdinand disagreed as he shared a screenshot on social media of Martinez pulling Calvert-Lewin's hair, and an incident earlier in the game where the striker collided with Leny Yoro in the build-up to Okafor's opener. The former centre-back demanded an explanation from the PGMOL.
Jamie Carragher
Liverpool's ex-defender was in the Sky Sports studio and admitted the sending off was harsh on Martinez. "I think that is soft. He is going for the ball, trying to grab hold of something and he has got it for half a second," Carragher said.
"I don't think any football fan, any player is thinking that is a red card."
Roy Keane
Surprisingly, Keane, who joined Carragher in the studio, was on the fence with the decision to send Martinez off but could understand why it seemed 'really harsh'. The ex-United captain said: "I can see both sides.
"When you class this as violent conduct this seems really harsh. It is harsh, but when looking at the laws you have to accept it."
Dermot Gallagher
Former Premier League referee Gallagher claimed he felt Tierney had no alternative. He told talkSPORT: "I think the one with tonight, you may argue that you don't like the law, you don't like the rule, but the referee is hamstrung, isn't he?
"Once somebody grabs a hair, they are just going to get sent off after it is picked up."