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Manchester United manager calls Martinez red card 'worst ever' after Leeds defeat
🇭🇺 Hungary /Conflict & Security

Manchester United manager calls Martinez red card 'worst ever' after Leeds defeat

From Magyar Nemzet · (2d ago) Hungarian Critical tone

Translated from Hungarian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Manchester United lost to Leeds United 2-1 in a Premier League match, with a controversial red card for Lisandro Martínez being a major talking point.
  • Martínez was sent off in the 56th minute for a foul on Dominic Calvert-Lewin, which was deemed a hair pull after VAR review, despite manager Erik ten Hag's protests.
  • The decision led to widespread debate among pundits and fans regarding the severity of the foul and its impact on the game's outcome.

The Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag, expressed shock and frustration over the red card shown to Lisandro Martínez during their Premier League match against Leeds United. Ten Hag argued that the decision was one of the worst he had ever seen, especially after VAR review. He felt that the foul, which involved Martínez's hand brushing the back of Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair after being struck himself, did not warrant a straight red card.

Shocking decision was Licha's sending off. For the second game in a row, they whistle against us, but this judgment is perhaps the worst I have ever seen.

— Erik ten HagManchester United manager Erik ten Hag's reaction to Lisandro Martínez's red card.

Ten Hag highlighted that the referee, Paul Tierney, was called to the monitor to review a clear mistake but ultimately upheld the decision. He pointed out that prior fouls, including an elbow to Leny Yoro's head and Calvert-Lewin hitting Martínez's face, were not penalized as severely. The manager believes this decision unfairly impacted the game, especially as Manchester United was already trailing.

Before that, they didn't even call it when Leny Yoro was elbowed in the head, and then Licha was hit in the face, which unbalanced him, and he half-touched the back of the opponent's hair. This is not hair pulling or hair tearing, it was not aggressive, he just touched it, and he was sent off for it.

— Erik ten HagErik ten Hag explaining his view on the foul that led to Martínez's red card.

Leeds player Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the recipient of the foul, stated he felt his hair pulled and informed the referee, leaving the decision to him. He described it as an unfortunate incident, whether intentional or not. Meanwhile, pundits like Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher found the red card harsh but agreed it shouldn't be the sole excuse for Manchester United's defeat. Gary Neville, however, suggested that such fouls have led to red cards in recent times.

I don't know, I don't make the rules, I just felt my hair pulled and I told the referee. He makes the decisions. Unfortunate incident, whether intentional or not, but I'm not angry with him.

— Dominic Calvert-LewinLeeds United player Dominic Calvert-Lewin's response to whether the red card was justified.
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Originally published by Magyar Nemzet in Hungarian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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