Martinez Red Card Decision Draws Carrick's Criticism After United Lose To Leeds

Michael Carrick condemned Lisandro Martinez’s dismissal during Manchester United’s 2-1 defeat to Leeds United, calling it "one of the worst I’ve seen", as United’s Premier League campaign suffered another setback at Old Trafford.

Martinez was ordered off in the 56th minute after a VAR review, with the defender punished for violent conduct for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair, a decision that left Manchester United furious and deepened concern over recent officiating calls.

The red card meant Manchester United finished the match with ten players, despite already trailing to two first-half goals from Noah Okafor, whose brace put Leeds United in full control before Casemiro struck a reply that could not rescue a result.

The dismissal was Manchester United’s sixth red card in the Premier League since the start of last season, with only Chelsea receiving more in that spell with nine, and followed Harry Maguire’s sending off in the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth that Carrick also strongly questioned.

Carrick felt the pattern of decisions damaged Manchester United’s chances again, saying the squad battled hard under pressure but had to deal with situations that the interim head coach viewed as unnecessary setbacks created by officiating and VAR intervention.

Carrick told Sky Sports: "We didn’t start the game particularly well. We conceded, which came after Leny Yoro got a forearm smash in the back of his head," highlighting an earlier incident that Carrick believed should have been checked more carefully by officials.

Carrick added: "They didn’t decide to overturn that, which 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 there for large parts of the half."

The interim head coach then focused on the sending-off, saying: "I thought the boys stayed positive and fought for everything in the second half, after a shocking decision to send Licha [Martinez] off. That’s two games in a row we’ve had those decisions go against us, but that one was one of the worst I’ve seen."

Carrick remained adamant Martinez did not use real force in the clash with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, insisting: "It’s not a pull, it’s not a tug, it’s not aggressive, he touches it and gets sent off. Worst of all is he was sent to overturn it as a clear and obvious error. It’s shocking."

The defeat continued a dip in league form for Manchester United, who had won six of the first seven Premier League matches under Carrick after the return, drawing the other, but have now collected only one victory from the last four games, with one draw and two defeats.

Carrick underlined United’s frustration but stressed the need to refocus, stating: "We didn’t want to lose and we didn’t want the referee’s decisions to be so bad against us but we move on."

Manchester United now turn attention to Saturday’s trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea, where another major test awaits in the battle for Champions League qualification places, and recent red card controversy is likely to remain a talking point around the squad.