Lisandro Martinez: Calvert-Lewin breaks silence on United ace’s red card
Lisandro Martinez: Calvert-Lewin breaks silence on United ace’s red card Manchester United suffered a demoralising 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Leeds United on Monday, 13 April, in the Premier League. The Red Devils were slow off the blocks and went behind in the fifth minute when Noah Okafor found the back of the net. The Swiss international doubled the lead in the 29th minute, and the visitors went into the break with a two-goal cushion.
The situation worsened further for the home side when Lisandro Martinez was shown a straight red card for violent conduct after allegedly pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair. United, though, did get back into the game through Casemiro in the 69th minute, but it proved to be a mere consolation. The Brazilian went close to scoring the equaliser when his header was cleared off the line by Calvert-Lewin, and Leeds held on to secure all three points.
The defeat dampened the spirit around Old Trafford, although the Red Devils remain third in the league table with six games left in the season. Michael Carrick’s team failed to turn up against their bitter rivals, but it was Martinez’s red card which became the talking point of the game. A controversial decision from Paul Tierney?
The incident was missed by referee Paul Tierney but was picked up by VAR. Tierney was subsequently advised to review the incident, and after watching it at the pitch-side monitor, the referee decided to brandish a straight red card at Martinez. The replays suggested that the Argentine had pulled Calvert-Lewin’s hair, prompting him to fall to the ground.
Martinez had only returned from a brief absence due to injury and was bewildered by the decision. Lisandro Martinez Stats: 2025/26 Season Source: Transfermarkt . The decision also drew criticism from Carrick at the end of the game, which turned out to be the caretaker manager’s first home defeat since taking charge in January.