Michael Carrick was not happy with two key incidents
James Smailes Head of All Out Rugby League and Yorkshire sport at Reach plc
05:00, 14 Apr 2026
Referee Paul Tierney speaks with Lisandro Martinez of Manchester United after showing him a red card for pulling the hair of Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Leeds United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Leeds United at Old Trafford on April 13, 2026 in Manchester, England
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Lisandro Martinez was sent off for hair-pulling in Manchester United's clash with Leeds(Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has called the sending off of Lisandro Martinez 'one of the worst' decisions he has ever seen. Martinez was shown a red card for a pull on the hair of Leeds United's Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with 10-man Man Utd going down to a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford thanks to a Noah Okafor double.
Leeds stunned their hosts with a first league win at Old Trafford since 1981, a result which takes them six points clear of the relegation zone and opens the door for Aston Villa and Liverpool to try catch Carrick's side in third place.
Carrick was incensed by the decision to send off his man for a hair pull, with Martinez now facing a three-match suspension for the incident. he was also unhappy at what he felt was a clear foul on Leny Yoro for Okafor's opening goal.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, he said; "We didn't start the game particularly well. We obviously conceded when Leny Yoro gets a forearm smash in the back of the head and they score the first goal.
"They didn't decide to overturn that decision. That was a big moment in the game. We didn't quite have the rhythm, we didn't click, we had some moments but it wasn't quite there for large parts of the first half.
"But second half, I thought the boys the way they went about it, stayed positive and fought to get something out of it after another shocking, shocking decision to send [Martinez] off. Two games in a row we've had decisions like that go against us but that one was one of the worst I've seen.
"You can elbow Leny Yoro for the first goal, leaning arm obviously, you can throw your arm in Martinez's face and then as he's off balance because of that, he's half grappling, he half touches the back of his hair which pulls the bobble to come out.
"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 send off. Worse of all, he gets sent to overturn it, a clear and obvious error. Shocking."
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