Man Utd debate put to bed by PGMOL rule and Howard Webb after red card fury

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Tuesday morning saw widespread discussion about Lisandro Martinez's red card for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair during the second half of Leeds United's victory over Manchester United .

The Red Devils defender was dismissed 11 minutes into the second period for grabbing Calvert-Lewin's hair, with VAR recommending the sending-off after summoning referee Paul Tierney to the pitchside monitor.

Momentum surprisingly shifted towards the visitors afterwards, with Casemiro reducing the deficit to set up a tense final 20 minutes for Leeds with his header. He came agonisingly close to snatching an 86th-minute leveller but for Calvert-Lewin's goal-line clearance, while Karl Darlow made several outstanding stops.

Man United interim manager Michael Carrick believed Calvert-Lewin should have been punished for an arm on Leny Yoro in the lead-up to Noah Okafor's opening goal, before questioning Martinez's subsequent red card.

"The arm [is] in the face of Lisandro and he is off balance and grappling. He goes to touch his shirt and gets a red card for it. It is not aggressive, there is no jolt, no tug. We have got to be careful where the game is going. It is a shocking decision, absolutely shocking. The red card, that is really concerning.

"I know he touched his hair. There is a difference to really aggressively touching it."

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The word 'aggression' doesn't actually appear in guidance issued to Premier League officials by refereeing body PGMOL, but instead 'force'. On page 96 of the 2025/26 PGMO Premier League handbook guide, it reads that violent conduct includes "clearly pulling the hair of an opponent with force".

Calvert-Lewin appealed to the official about the hair pull, with his bobble coming loose as Martinez grabbed his hair.

PGMOL boss Howard Webb clarified the rule guidance in greater detail when Everton's Michael Keane was handed a red card for pulling the hair of Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare in January.

"For some years now, actions where players pull opponents' hair have been deemed as violent conduct," he said. "You don't see that often, you sometimes see it with players maybe in confrontation with one another, not battling for the ball.

"I'm told if you have your hair pulled, it's quite an offensive thing to happen to you - I've not had mine pulled for a long time – but I think we've recognised that and it is in the guidance that we give to clubs before the season starts.

"Grabbing somebody's hair with force is deemed violent conduct and a player will be sent off. It was the appropriate outcome. It was unusual but if we see it again next week, it will be the same outcome next week as well."