A new era has started with a bang at Old Trafford as Michael Carrick's kicked off his reign at Manchester United with a comfortable 2-0 win over Pep Guardiola's Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime and Lisandro Martinez, after the hotly-anticipated derby, hit back at the criticism from Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes.
Keen to make an immediate impression, Carrick did just that as his side – set up in a four-at-the-back system – were at the races from start to finish, applying the pressure on a beleaguered-looking City side. They scored twice in the first half, though both were chalked off for offside.
Second-half goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu (both of which counted) sealed a resounding win for the home side, in which proved that plenty of players are capable of guiding the Red Devils to a top four spot. That includes Old Trafford favourite Martinez, who was subject to criticism pre-derby.
Lisandro Martinez Responds To Criticism From Butt and Scholes After Manchester Derby Win
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Ahead of the derby, much was made of the mismatch between Erling Haaland and Martinez. United midfield legends Scholes and Butt were at the front and centre of the discourse on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast. Scholes said: "There’s every chance he [Haaland] will target him [Martinez], of course he will."
Butt replied: "Haaland would pick Martinez up and run with him. It would be like when you see a dad at school running down the road like that with a little toddler, that’s what it would be like."
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After his performance against Manchester City, fans believe he is owed an apology for the pre-match criticism.
After Martinez got the better of six-foot-five Haaland – who is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in world football – he was asked: "Some pundits were talking about the fact that Lisandro Martinez is up against Erling Haaland. How will that be? Maybe he will struggle but, at the end of the day, it was a clean sheet today and Erling Haaland got subbed off as well. It must have been really satisfying as a centre-back."
Dismissing the criticism entirely, the World Cup winner insisted that he has no control over what those in the media want to say. What he has full control over, however, is the way he performs on the pitch – and, against City, he proved what he's capable of.
“Well, you know, people can do whatever they want, it’s something that I can’t control. What I can only do is to show on the pitch and I think today I show it.
"Imagine if we thought what the people said, it shows we have to be focused for the best of this club, we want to change this situation and we’re the only ones who can change it," the 27-year-old Argentine, who moved from Ajax to join United in the summer of 2022, concluded in his post-match chat with Stadium Astro.
Not only was the pre-match criticism mentioned in his interview after the match, but the centre-back, who will be indispensable for Carrick between now and the end of term, also gestured towards the crowd.
Martinez Nullified City's Main Threat, Haaland, With Ease
lisandro martinez erling haaland
Plenty of Carrick's troops deserve their flowers for how they performed against Guardiola's title-chasing side on Saturday. Kobbie Mainoo's first start of the Premier League campaign proved why Ruben Amorim was wrong about the Englishman; Casemiro picked up the Man of the Match award for his industrious display and Bruno Fernandes, well, was doing Bruno Fernandes things.
Martinez, though, is among them as Haaland rarely got sight of the ball. When he did, Martinez was close by. Once the full-time whistle had blown and the United players were lapping Old Trafford to thank the thousands and thousands in attendance, Martinez gestured that some people were being too loud with their opinions.
As seen in the footage below, the 26-cap Argentina international also performed a togetherness gesture, perhaps suggesting a close-knit bond between the players and supporters will be key to securing top four credentials.
Back from injury and raring to go, Carrick – one of the most underrated players in football history – would be wise to pick Martinez, alongside one of Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven or Matthijs de Ligt, for the rest of the campaign given how well he locked horns with Leeds-born Haaland. His defensive robustness, combined with his line-breaking passes, will be a key component for the interim manager.