Michael Carrick of Manchester United criticises referee over Lisandro Martinez red card

Martinez received a red card during the second half at Old Trafford after the Manchester United defender tugged at the hair of Leeds forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Referee Tierney issued the dismissal to the Argentine player following advice from VAR to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor.

Manchester United were already behind due to Noah Okafor's brace in the first half when Martinez was sent off.

Even though Casemiro scored a goal to reduce the deficit for Carrick's team, they could not prevent the second loss in his 11-game stint as manager.

I believed the players handled it well, remaining upbeat and battling to salvage something after yet another poor call to eject Lisandro, Carrick commented.

We have faced such rulings against us in two consecutive matches, but this stands out as one of the most appalling I have witnessed.

Arguing that Calvert-Lewin's first contact with Martinez contributed to the defender's response, Carrick stated: You can swing your arm into Martinez's face and then, with him unbalanced from that, he partially grapples and lightly brushes the back of his hair, causing the bobble to loosen.

I am not sure what it even appears as. It is not a pull or a yank, nothing aggressive. He merely touches it and receives a sending-off.

Worst yet, they opt to reverse it as a clear and obvious mistake. Utterly shocking.

Martinez might receive a three-match suspension and, when questioned about an appeal, Carrick replied: I need to talk it over, but I consider it a poor judgement.

Carrick also expressed annoyance that Calvert-Lewin escaped punishment for a robust tackle on Manchester United's Leny Yoro prior to Okafor's initial goal.

We let in a goal right after Leny Yoro takes a forearm to the back of his head and they net the opener, he noted.

They chose not to change that call. It proved a pivotal moment in the match.

Manchester United hold third position in the Premier League, seven points clear of Chelsea in sixth, vying for a top-five spot to reach the Champions League.

Having secured just one victory in their previous four outings, United head to Chelsea on Saturday for a key encounter in the Champions League qualification fight.

This match is just one result. We will review it and aim to get better. We face another major fixture next week and a significant conclusion to the campaign, Carrick remarked.

We sit in a strong spot. Tonight brings disappointment, we did not wish to lose and certainly not due to such awful refereeing against us, but we press forward.

We have an important finish to the season ahead and plenty of reasons for optimism.