Michael Carrick did not hold back in his criticism of the red card shown to Lisandro Martinez during the match between Manchester United and Leeds, describing it as one of the worst refereeing decisions he has ever seen in his career. The Argentine defender was sent off in the second half, accused of pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair, a decision that left Carrick absolutely incredulous and furious.
The former player and now interim manager of United did not hesitate to denounce the injustice of the dismissal. “In the second half, I thought the team tried to stay positive and fight for the result, despite another shocking decision, absolutely shocking, in sending off Licha,” Carrick stated. “It was two games in a row with decisions against us, but this was one of the worst I have seen.”
Carrick argued that the foul committed by Martinez was practically non-existent: “You can see an elbow in Leny Yoro’s face, you can see an arm being thrown against Licha, who gets off balance and touches his hair, taking the bobble off. I don’t even know what that is — it’s not pulling, it’s not grabbing, it’s not aggressive, it’s just a touch and he gets sent off. It’s shocking.”
Despite being sent off, Casemiro still managed to reduce Leeds’ lead with a goal, after Noah Okafor scored twice in the first half, but Manchester United’s response was not enough to avoid a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford.
In addition to the controversy surrounding the red card, Carrick criticized the refereeing for not disallowing Leeds’ first goal, which he claimed was scored from a clear foul: “The opening goal is illegal, he (Okafor) hits Leny Yoro with his arm. I don’t understand how it wasn’t called.”
This sharp analysis from the former United midfielder casts a shadow over the officiating in the Premier League, sending a clear warning about the potential inconsistency of disciplinary decisions that can directly influence the outcome of matches. If this is the direction of VAR and referees, fans and teams have more than enough reason to protest against what they consider a serious injustice in modern football.
This article first appeared on Apito Final.
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