Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick slammed referee Paul Tierney for sending off Lisandro Martinez in Monday’s 1-2 defeat to Leeds.
Martinez was dismissed in the second half at Old Trafford after the United defender pulled the hair of Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Tierney showed the Argentine a red card after VAR officials told him to consult the pitch monitor.
United were trailing after Noah Okafor’s double in the first half when Martinez was sent off.
And although Casemiro got one back for Carrick’s side, they could not avoid the second defeat in his 11-match reign.
“I thought the boys, the way they went about it, stayed positive and fought to get something out of it after another shocking decision to send Lisandro off,” Carrick said.
“Two games in a row we’ve had decisions like that against us, but this one was one of the worst I’ve ever seen.”
Carrick claimed that Calvert-Lewin’s initial contact with Martinez had played a part in the centre-half’s reaction, saying: “You can throw your arm in Martinez’s face and if it throws him off balance, he’s half struggling, half touching the back of his hair, which pulls the lump out.
«I don’t even know what it looks like. It’s not a jerk, it’s not a jerk, it’s not aggressive. If he touches it, he’ll be sent off.»
«Worst of all, he is sent to undo it, a clear and obvious mistake. Shocking.»
Martinez could receive a three-match ban and when asked if United would appeal, Carrick said: «I’ll have to talk about it, but I think it’s a bad decision.»
Carrick was also frustrated that Calvert-Lewin got away with a strong challenge on United defender Leny Yoro in the build-up to Okafor’s opener.
“We clearly conceded when Leny Yoro took a blow to the back of the head on his forearm and they scored the first goal,” he said. «They didn’t decide to reverse that decision. That was a big moment in the game.»
United remain third in the Premier League, seven points ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea in the race to qualify for the Champions League via a top-five finish.
With one win in their last four games, United travel to Chelsea on Saturday for a crucial match in the battle for Champions League places.
«This is one game. We will definitely look at it and try to improve. We have another big game, a big game next week and a big end to the season,» Carrick said.
«We’re in a very good position. It’s disappointing tonight. We didn’t want to lose and we didn’t want the referee’s decisions to be so bad against us, but we’ll move on.»
“We have had a great end to the season and there is a lot to be positive about.”
Published on April 14, 2026
