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Man Utd given positive Lisandro Martinez red card verdict ahead of appeal
Apr 14 2026 22:11 · By Daniel Marsh/Senior Sports Reporter · 3 Reads
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Mark Halsey reckons Lisandro Martinez was unfortunate to have been sent off for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin 's hair during Manchester United's 2-1 loss against Leeds .
The United defender, 28, saw red on Monday night after briefly tugging at Calvert-Lewin's hair following a VAR review. Martinez now faces a three-match ban after Paul Tierney was advised to look back at the incident, although the Red Devils have lodged an appeal against the decision .
And former Premier League referee, Halsey , does not believe Martinez deserved a red card after briefly tugging Calvert-Lewin's hair as they battled for the ball.
“There was a big talking point Man United vs Leeds at Old Trafford where Martinez was sent off for violent conduct,” Halsey told The Sun .
“If we look at the incident, the ball is played up to Calvert-Lewin with Martinez in close proximity.
“When you have two players challenging for the ball, the defender is always going to have his arm feeling for the player in front. Now Paul Tierney plays on, doesn’t see anything, play is stopped.
“VAR recommend a review for violent conduct by Martinez for a hair pull. Is that a clear and obvious error for VAR to get involved? In my opinion, it’s not violent conduct. It’s very very harsh.”
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While it remains to be seen if Martinez's red card will be overturned following United's appeal, Michael Carrick pulled no punches with his assessment of the call, branding it "one of the worst" decisions he has ever seen.
“It's not a pull, it's not a tug, it's not aggressive, he touches it and gets sent off. Worst of all is he was sent to overturn it as a clear and obvious error. It's shocking,” he told Sky Sports .
“He's off-balance because of that, he half touches the back of his hair which pulls the bobble out and leads it to look like - I don't even know what it looks like.
“That's two games in a row we've had those decisions go against us, but that one was one of the worst I've seen.”
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