Lisandro Martinez was shown a red card for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin during Manchester United’s defeat to Leeds United on Monday – and the Reds are reportedly going to appeal the decision
Lisandro Martinez was shown a straight red card against Leeds United(Image: Getty Images)
Former Premier League referee Peter Walton has claimed that Manchester United are “wasting their time” if they appeal Lisandro Martinez’s red card against Leeds United. Martinez, 28, was given his marching orders in the second half of the 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford after pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair.
After it initially went unpunished, referee Paul Tierney was advised to go over to the pitch-side VAR monitor to have a closer look at the incident. Less than a minute later, Tierney decided to penalise Martinez for violent conduct and brandished the Argentina international with a straight red card.
Michael Carrick branded the decision as “shocking” and “bad” in his post-match interview and hinted that United are going to appeal the dismissal.
Reports have since suggested that United have appealed to the FA and Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and hope to have Martinez available for Saturday’s trip to Chelsea. The club, however, have not yet confirmed this.
Ex-referee Walton believes that United will get nowhere if they do appeal the red card. He told The Times: “I can tell Michael Carrick now he is wasting his time appealing against Martinez’s red card. The United head coach has no chance of success.
“A provocative observer might suggest that his time and energy would be better spent talking to Matheus Cunha about the yellow card he was shown during the game for simulation. It will be exactly the same if we see hair pulled at the World Cup finals this summer: referees will show red.”
Lisandro Martinez was shown a straight red card against Leeds United(Image: Getty Images)
For the red card to be overturned, United must argue that Tierney made an error in sending off Martinez.
But with the FA regarding a hair pull as violent conduct, it’s set to merit a three-match ban for the ex-Ajax man, meaning he is poised to miss upcoming fixtures against Chelsea, Brentford and Liverpool.
Carrick cut a bewildered figure after the defeat to Leeds and lost his cool as he delivered his verdict on Martinez’s dismissal. “That decision was one of the worst I’ve ever seen,” Carrick said.
“He [Calvert-Lewin] can throw his arms in Licha’s [Martinez’s] face – and then he’s sent off. It’s not a pull, it’s not a tug, it’s not aggressive. He touches it and he gets sent off. He is off balance and grappling. We have got to be careful where the game is going. It is a shocking decision, absolutely shocking.”
The defeat for United has left them in third in the Premier League table, seven points behind sixth-place Chelsea, who sit just outside the automatic Champions League spots. But the Reds can extend that gap to the Blues to a mammoth 10 points should they win at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.