‘Very Big Trouble’—Fernandes, Carrick Fume at ‘Worst Decision Ever’

Manchester United were already trailing 2–0 to rivals Leeds when referee Paul Tierney was forced to make a judgment call.

Referee Paul Tierney consulted the pitch-side monitor before making his decision. | Paul ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes admitted he feared being punished for voicing his true feelings towards Lisandro Martínez’s red card against Leeds United, which interim manager Michael Carrick argued was “one of the worst” decisions he had ever seen.

Ten minutes into the second half, and with United already 2–0 down to Noah Okafor’s first-half double, Martínez was shown a straight red card after being caught pulling the hair of Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Carrick was left seething, insisting not only was Martínez’s act far from violent conduct, but suggesting he was actually the victim of the clash with Calvert-Lewin.

“That decision was one of the worst I’ve ever seen,” Carrick fumed. “He [Calvert-Lewin] can throw his arms in Licha’s [Martinez’s] face—and then he’s sent off. Shocking.

“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. He is off balance and grappling.

“We have got to be careful where the game is going. It is a shocking decision, absolutely shocking.”

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Fernandes: Rules Are Different for Everyone

Bruno Fernandes’s protests led nowhere. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

Carrick was not the only person left frustrated. United captain Fernandes, who set up Casemiro’s consolation strike just over 10 minutes after the red card, did well to hold his tongue when asked for his feelings.

“I am not talking about the referee,” he told Sky Sports. “If I talk about the ref I am going to get in very big trouble because the rules are different for everyone and they play different for everyone.

“The difference in the yellow cards, you can also see it. So it’s better that I don’t say anything.”

• READ NEXT: Why Kobbie Mainoo Didn’t Play for Man Utd vs. Leeds

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Calvert-Lewin: I Don’t Make the Rules

Dominic Calvert-Lewin reported the incident to the referee. | Paul ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images

The incident itself actually played out with little attention. Martínez and Calvert-Lewin were tussling and the Leeds striker ended up on the floor, but play was only stopped after former Everton striker Calvert-Lewin alerted the on-field referee to what had happened.

VAR intervened and it was soon decided that Martínez should be dismissed for what was ultimately described as “violent conduct.”

Asked whether he agreed with the verdict, Calvert-Lewin responded: “I don’t know, I don’t make the rules.

“I felt my hair get pulled and obviously I told the ref, he’s the one that makes the decisions, at the end of the day. Unfortunate for [Martínez].

“Whether he’s meant it or not, I don’t hold no grudges, but it is what it is.”

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