Lisandro Martinez received a red card for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair during Manchester United’s defeat to Leeds United at Old Trafford on Monday night
13:49, 15 Apr 2026Updated 13:50, 15 Apr 2026
Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez was shown a straight red card against Leeds United(Image: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Former Premier League referee Peter Walton has insisted that Manchester United are “wasting their time” in their appeal against Lisandro Martinez’s red card during the 2-1 defeat to Leeds United. Martinez, 28, was dismissed in the second half of the game at Old Trafford after pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair.
After the incident initially going unnoticed, referee Paul Tierney was instructed to review the pitch-side VAR monitor to examine the situation more closely. Within a minute, Tierney opted to punish Martinez for violent conduct and showed the Argentina international a straight red card.
Michael Carrick labelled the decision as “shocking” and “bad” in his post-match comments and suggested that United would be challenging the sending off. United have reportedly lodged an appeal with the FA and Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and are hoping to have Martinez available for Saturday’s journey to Chelsea.
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Former referee Walton is convinced United will achieve nothing with this course of action. 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 is set to miss the next three games(Image: Getty Images)
For the red card to be rescinded, United must contend that Tierney made a mistake in dismissing Martinez. However, with the FA considering a hair pull as violent conduct, it’s expected to warrant a three-match suspension for the former Ajax man, meaning he is likely to miss forthcoming clashes against Chelsea, Brentford and Liverpool.
Carrick cut a baffled figure following the loss to Leeds and became visibly frustrated as he gave his assessment of Martinez’s sending-off. “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 loss for United has left them third in the Premier League table, seven points behind sixth-placed Chelsea, who occupy a spot just beyond the automatic Champions League places. However, the Red Devils can stretch that advantage over the Blues to a substantial 10 points should they triumph at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
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