Lisandro Martinez received a red card for violent conduct in the defeat to Leeds United, but a similar Premier League hair pull incident went unpunished
A new twist in the Lisandro Martinez red card saga has emerged with a similar Premier League incident taking place(Image: (Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts – CameraSport via Getty Images))
Manchester United’s fury at Lisandro Martinez’s dismissal appears to have intensified following a similar incident in the Premier League that didn’t lead to a red card. The Argentine was sent off for violent conduct after tugging the hair of Dominic Calvert-Lewin during the loss to Leeds United.
Just five days on from that incident, Dango Outtara carried out a similar act on Calvin Bassey during Fulham’s visit to Brentford, yet referee Paul Tierney awarded only a foul. He was also the match official at Old Trafford earlier in the week, which further raises doubts about consistency in refereeing decisions.
Given the minimal contact involved, it could have been easily overlooked by Tierney. Yet there was also no intervention from VAR, with Craig Pawson overseeing the system at Stockley Park.
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Earlier in the campaign, Everton defender Michael Keane was sent off for pulling the hair of Wolves‘ Tolu Arokodare.
While the minor contact from Outtara is arguably less severe than the pulls committed by Martinez and Keane, a standard has been established that any form of contact in that area warrants a dismissal.
Dango Outtara appeared to pull the hair of Calvin Bassey(Image: Premier League)
As a consequence of the decision reached regarding Martinez, he will sit out three United league fixtures, with his suspension beginning for the match against Chelsea.
Harry Maguire is also banned for the trip to Stamford Bridge after being handed an additional one-game suspension for remarks directed at the fourth official following his red card against Bournemouth before the March international break.
Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez was shown a straight red card against Leeds United(Image: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
To compound Michael Carrick’s problems at centre-back, Leny Yoro did not make the journey to London, potentially through injury, which has also ruled him out of the Chelsea fixture.
Diogo Dalot has stepped in to replace him, with Noussair Mazraoui partnering Heaven in the heart of defence. Carrick has received a welcome fitness boost, however, with Kobbie Mainoo returning to the starting line-up after sitting out the Leeds fixture with a minor complaint.
Manchester United duo Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez are both unavailable vs Chelsea due to suspension
There has also been a reshuffle in attack, with Bryan Mbeumo coming in for Amad on the right flank as Benjamin Sesko continues to lead the line.
It is a pivotal encounter for both sides in the battle for Champions League qualification, and a victory for the hosts over United would narrow the gap to just three points.
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