Manchester United endured a night to forget at Old Trafford against old rivals Leeds United yesterday (Monday), with Michael Carrick’s men succumbing to a 2-1 defeat in the Premier League.
Leeds were by far the better side in the first half and caused what turned out to be irreparable damage through Noah Okafor’s brace in front of the Stretford End.
United also failed to get going in the opening exchanges of the second period, and the disastrous first 60 minutes were underlined by a red card for Lisandro Martinez, handing Leeds a further advantage.
The bizarre incident saw Martinez grab a handful of Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s ponytail, leading to referee Paul Tierney being called over to the pitchside monitor after a VAR intervention.
Ferdinand left baffled by decisions
Whilst it was clear Lisandro Martinez did have a brief grip of the Leeds striker’s locks, the decision of violent conduct did feel somewhat harsh given the minimal impact of the contact.
However, Tierney deemed the action to be worthy of a clear and obvious red card, leaving United players and staff perplexed and facing the final 30 minutes with ten men.
Carrick described the decision as “one of the worst he’d seen”, a view that was echoed by former United defender Rio Ferdinand, who had his say on the incident.
Ferdinand was in no doubt United were hard done by on the night, particularly given a similar situation that played a key role in Leeds opening the scoring in the opening moments.
Calvert-Lewin’s elbow into the side of Leny Yoro’s head was missed by the officials in the build-up to Okafor’s early strike, and calls for consistency were once again up for debate from the United contingent.
Ferdinand took to X to call out the PGMOL on the two decisions by re-posting a picture of the incidents with the caption “Explain” and tagging the official PGMOL account.
Growing frustration
Whilst United were nowhere near good enough in the game, and looked more of a threat when down to ten men, there is no doubt having their full quota on the field would have given them a better chance of reversing the scoreline.
The discontent is clearly building at Old Trafford with regards to refereeing decisions after the recent Bournemouth debacle that saw a penalty given against United but not one for, in almost identical situations in the second half.
Carrick was quick to mention that in his post-match interview, and United, who were without Harry Maguire last night through suspension, will now miss Martinez for a crucial three-game run that includes Chelsea, Brentford, and Liverpool.
United are likely to appeal the decision, but whether they will have any joy is another story given the rulebook that will protect Tierney and his colleagues in the VAR hub.
The loss of the Argentine looks even more of an issue given the form of Leny Yoro, who is having a tough time of it of late and struggled badly once again against Leeds.
Ayden Heaven might find himself partnering Maguire for the trip to Stamford Bridge next Saturday, which now looks crucial for United to re-establish themselves as favourites for Champions League qualification.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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