Michael Carrick fumes at Lisandro Martinez red card decision as Manchester United beaten by Leeds - 'One of the worst I've seen'

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Michael Carrick said the decision to send off Lisandro Martínez for appearing to pull Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair was "one of the worst I've seen." The central defender was dismissed during Manchester United's 2-1 defeat against Leeds United and Carrick described the call as "shocking." It was a vital night for Leeds, who moved six points clear of the relegation zone with the win.

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Michael Carrick said the decision to send off Lisandro Martínez in Manchester United's 2-1 defeat against Leeds United was "one of the worst I've seen."

The central defender was judged to have pulled the hair of Dominic Calvert-Lewin 11 minutes into the second half, with referee Paul Tierney brandishing a red card after being advised to check the pitchside monitor.

United had fallen 2-0 behind after Noah Okafor's first-half double and Casemiro only halved their deficit once they were reduced to 10 men, but Carrick was furious with the officiating.

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Reflecting on the defeat, the interim head coach told Sky Sports: "We obviously conceded when Leny Yoro gets a forearm smash in the back of the head and they score the first goal. They didn't decide to overturn that decision. That was a big moment in the game.

"Second half, I thought the boys, the way they went about it, stayed positive and fought to get something out of it after another shocking, shocking decision to send [Martinez] off.

"Two games in a row we've had decisions like that go against us, but that one was one of the worst I've seen."

Lisandro Martinez appears to have a hold of Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair

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The former United midfielder continued: "You can elbow Leny Yoro for the first goal, leaning arm obviously, you can throw your arm in Martinez's face, and then, as he's off balance because of that, he's half grappling, he half touches the back of his hair, which pulls the bobble to come out.

"I don't even know what it looks like. It's not a pull, it's not a tug, it's not aggressive. He touches it, and he gets sent off.

"Worse of all, he gets sent to overturn it, a clear and obvious error. Shocking."

Leeds' victory was their first in the league at Old Trafford in 45 years, and it has taken them six points clear of the relegation zone with just six games to go.

Okafor opened the scoring for the visitors after just five minutes with a clinical first-time finish, before doubling his and his team's tally with a deflected volley just before the half-hour mark.

It was a nerve-jangling conclusion to the game following Casemiro's headed finish with 21 minutes left to play, with Bruno Fernandes notching his 17th assist of the campaign.

But thanks to some superb defending, including Calvert-Lewin's goal-line clearance late on, they hung on for a massive three points and took a huge step towards Premier League survival.

Manager Daniel Farke, who fell to his knees at full-time, said he was "tired" and "relieved" after the victory but still felt his team deserved more, both on the night and throughout the course of the season.

"Proud of the boys, fantastic performance," he told Sky Sports. "We are in the crunch time of the season and it's important to keep your nerves and stick to your plan.

"I think the first half was fantastic, we should've been higher up than 2-0, we missed many, many chances.

"I think it's the first in Premier League history, first win here for forty years. It's amazing and, of course, a big step forward."

He added: "The reality is that performance-wise we should already be with far more than 40 points. This team has performed over the whole season with unbelievable consistency.

"For that reality, we are on 36 points; a few more points are needed. For now, three points closer, nothing is achieved yet. We have to stay humble, grounded, hungry.

"We are not perfect. We are not the finished, end product. We are on a good path, on the way to achieving something really positive this season."

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