Michael Carrick was clearly angry in his post-match interview (Image: Sky Sports)
Michael Carrick was furious at referee Paul Tierney and the officials as Manchester United lost 2-1 to Leeds United at Old Trafford. The Red Devils missed the chance to cement third place in the Premier League and paid the price for a disastrous first half that saw Noah Okafor put the Whites 2-0 up after the half-hour mark. At the same time, Lisandro Martinez was sent off for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair, and immediately after that, the 10-man hosts suffered their first league defeat since 1981 at Old Trafford, despite Casemiro cutting the gap in half.
However, caretaker manager Carrick was furious in the post-match interview, citing two incidents that he felt were detrimental to his team, one of which was a red card. The 44-year-old was also unhappy with what he felt was a foul on Lenny Yolo by Dominic Calvert-Lewin before Okafor opened the scoring just five minutes later. Carrick told Sky Sports: “We didn’t start the game particularly well. We scored after Lenny Yolo conceded with a forearm to the back of the head. They didn’t make the decision to overturn that decision, so that was a big moment of the game.”
“We didn’t quite find our rhythm, we didn’t mesh. We had some moments, but we didn’t have it for most of the first half. In the second half, I thought the players were positive and fought for everything and tried to get something next to the shocking decision to send off Richa. That’s the second game in a row where a decision was made against us. That game was one of the worst I’ve ever seen.”
“You can elbow Lenny Yolo in the side of the head, obviously with your arm tilted. And you can throw your arm in Richa’s face. That’s why he’s off balance, so he half-touches the back of his hair and it pulls the bob out and then… It’s like…I don’t even know what that looks like. It’s not pulling, it’s not pulling, it’s not offensive. He touches it and gets sent off. “It’s shocking to pass that off as an obvious mistake. ”
United captain Bruno Fernandes was equally irritated and refused to go into details. “I’m not talking about the referee. If I were to talk about the referee, I’d be in big trouble because the rules are different for different people and different rules apply to different people. You can see the difference in yellow cards, so it’s better not to say anything.”
Calvert-Lewin told the broadcaster about the red card: “I don’t know. I don’t make the rules at the end of the day. I felt like I was being pulled by my hair and obviously I told the referee. He makes the decision. It’s unfortunate for him (Martinez). Whether he meant it or not, I don’t hold a grudge. That’s the reality.”
Sky pundits Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane both felt it was a tough decision. Keane said: “I can see it on both sides, but I feel it’s really harsh when you classify it as violent behavior. But we’ve also seen other players sent off. It’s harsh, but if that’s the law of the game then you have to accept it.”
Carragher added: “He’s trying to get the ball and almost grappling. He’s trying to grab something and he catches the back of the hair – it might have been hair or something. He got him for about half a second. We’re hearing from Howard Webb and he’s saying, ‘What does the game want?’
Lisandro Martinez punished for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair (Image: Sky Sports)
Michael Carrick felt Lenny Yolo was fouled before Leeds took a 1-0 lead (Image: Sky Sports)
“I don’t think anyone, whether it’s a football fan, manager or player, thinks, ‘That’s a red card.’ Everyone looks at it and thinks, ‘Oh, that’s not a red card, behave yourself.’
The incident comes after Michael Keane was handed a similar red card in January after he was penalized for pulling the hair of Wolves forward Tolu Alokodea. Everton appealed the decision and also sought a reduction in his three-match suspension, but both appeals were rejected, despite manager David Moyes’ anger.
United, on the other hand, have won just one of their last four Premier League games and have had a red card in each of their last two. However, Leeds, who have also reached the FA Cup semi-finals, are in good form and are unbeaten in five games in all competitions, and with this win they increased their lead over 18th place Tottenham in the relegation battle to six points.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke said: ‘To be honest, we should have been more than 2-0 up in the first half. Sometimes a red card can change things.
“We fell asleep on one set-piece, but that’s the way Man United operate and it’s difficult to get over the line as a newly promoted team. Whatever happens, to get our first win here, after 40 years, is amazing and of course a big step forward.”
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