Michael Carrick Slams "Shocking" Red Card Decision as Lisandro Martínez Dismissal Costs Man Utd Against Leeds

Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick criticised the officiating following his side’s 2-1 loss to Leeds United in a Premier League fixture at Old Trafford on Monday, focusing on the dismissal of defender Lisandro Martínez.

The turning point came in the first half when Martínez was shown a red card after an incident involving Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Referee Paul Tierney issued the decision after consulting VAR, ruling the contact as a hair pull. Martínez reacted with visible disbelief as he left the field.

Carrick said the incident did not warrant a sending-off and questioned the interpretation of the contact.

"Lisandro, to start with, he gets an arm in the face, so he's kind of off balance in the kind of off grappling," Carrick said.

"He almost just goes to touch him and grab his shirt, and he ends up catching his head, touches the back of his hair, the bobble comes out and you get a red card?"

He added that there was no clear aggressive intent in the challenge.

"It's not aggressive. There's no jolt. There's no tug. There's no sudden movement. He kind of touches it and glances through it,” he added.

"You've just got to be careful where the game's going if we're giving red cards for that. It's a shocking decision, absolutely shocking."

Leeds Take Advantage of Numerical Edge

Leeds made full use of the extra player, with Noah Okafor scoring twice before the interval to put the visitors in control. Casemiro reduced the deficit after the break, but United were unable to recover.

The win ended Leeds’ long wait for a league victory at Old Trafford and marked only their second away success of the season. United, meanwhile, missed a chance to strengthen their position in the race for European qualification.