Michael Carrick furiously hit out at the decision to send off Lisandro Martinez after Leeds boosted their survival hopes with a famous win at Old Trafford last night.
Manchester United lost at home to their bitter rivals in the league for the first time since 1981 as Noah Okafor struck twice to clinch a 2-1 victory.
But Carrick was raging that VAR official John Brooks advised referee Paul Tierney to go to the monitor in the second half after spotting Martinez pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair. The Argentine was shown a straight red card on his comeback and will now be banned for three games.
‘It was a shocking decision to send Licha off,’ said Carrick. ‘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.’
United lodged an unsuccessful appeal with the PGMOL after they were denied a penalty for a challenge on Amad Diallo against Bournemouth last time out, and Harry Maguire was sent off at the Vitality Stadium.
Carrick, who was also unhappy with Calvert-Lewin’s challenge on Leny Yoro in the build-up to the first goal, indicated that another appeal is likely.
‘I’m going to have to discuss it, but I think it is a bad decision,’ he added.
‘You can elbow Leny Yoro in the side of the head, a leading arm, obviously. Then you can throw your arm in Licha’s face and as 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.
‘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 [the referee] was sent to overturn it as a clear and obvious error. It’s shocking.’
Roy Keane, watching on from the Sky Sports studio, admitted that the red card decision was ‘harsh’ but insisted Carrick has to ‘suck it up’ and accept United’s slow start cost them the game.
‘He’s obviously frustrated but you have to suck it up,’ Keane said on Monday Night Football.
‘United never got going, he’ll always be learning about this group and they’ll have their ups and downs. Been all plaudits so far but this is a big setback. They don’t want to finish season badly, tonight especially against Leeds, the way they performed is a big setback.
‘As ex-players that seems really harsh, but we’ve seen other players get sent off (for that). It is is harsh but within laws of game, VAR you’ve got to accept it, we’ve seen it happen before.’
Calvert-Lewin defended himself, saying: ‘I don’t make the rules. I felt my hair get pulled, told the ref, he makes the decisions. It’s unfortunate for him, whether he’s meant it or not. I hold no grudges.’
Leeds boss Daniel Farke was delighted with his team’s performance as they withstood a late onslaught after Casemiro pulled a goal back.
‘We should have been more than 2-0 up in the first half, if I’m honest,’ said Farke. ‘Sometimes a red card can change something. We fell asleep at one set-piece and then it’s more the Man U way and it’s difficult to bring it over the line as a newly promoted side.
‘To get a first win here in whatever it is, 40 years, is amazing and of course a big step forward.’
