Manchester United supporters have raised questions over a crucial detail that they believe officials overlooked in Lisandro Martínez’s red card incident during Monday night’s clash with Everton.
With United already trailing 2-0 at half-time after a brace from Noah Okafor, the situation worsened in the 56th minute when Martínez was dismissed following a VAR intervention. The Argentine defender was penalised for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair during an aerial challenge, with referee Paul Tierney advised to review the incident on the monitor. After checking the footage, Tierney confirmed a straight red card for violent conduct, stating: “After review, the Manchester United No.6 is guilty of pulling his hair – violent conduct. My final decision is red card.”
The decision mirrors a similar incident earlier in the season involving Michael Keane, who was also sent off, and it sparked confusion among fans inside Old Trafford, particularly as the referee’s explanation was not clearly heard over the stadium tannoy. Martínez left the pitch visibly frustrated and later spoke briefly with teammate Joshua Zirkzee as he made his way down the tunnel.
While hair-pulling is now treated as a sending-off offence, many United fans argued that the challenge was not viewed in isolation. They pointed out that in the same moment of contact, Calvert-Lewin also appeared to have his hand around Martínez’s throat during the duel for the ball, a detail they feel was ignored by match officials. The incident quickly triggered debate on social media, with supporters questioning the consistency of the decision and comparing the treatment of both players.
Despite the controversy, Casemiro managed to pull one goal back for United, heading in from yet another Bruno Fernandes assist, taking the midfielder’s tally to 17 league assists for the season. However, the result was further overshadowed by Martínez’s dismissal, which is expected to result in a three-match suspension. That ban will rule him out of key fixtures against Chelsea and Liverpool, as well as the match against Brentford in between.
