Premier League | 'Not aggressive': Man Utd's Martinez gets red card & 3-match suspension for pulling hair of Leeds' Calvert-Lewin

Manchester United suffered a 2-1 defeat against Leeds at Old Trafford on Monday (Apr 13) after nearly four and a half decade as Michael Carrick lost first home game at interim manager of the Premier League side. The game, however, was marred by a controversy and a three-match ban for Man United's Lisandro Martínez being suspended for three matches. Martinez was given a red card in the match in addition to the ban after he pulled Dominic Calvert-Lewin's ponytail in the 56th minute of the match. Carrick says that the decision to suspend Martinez is 'shocking' and the club is most likely to appeal against it.

Why Martinez was given red-card vs Leeds?

The incident happened nearly 20 minutes in the second half when Martinez, behind Calver-Lewin, tugged at his ponytail which referee deemed as a red card offence and ousted the United player out of the pitch. Have a look at the video below:

Apart from being given the red card, Martinez was also suspended for three matches, a decision Manchester United may appeal against. Interim manager Carrick wasn't happy about the punishment doled out to Martinez and said: "The arm [is] in the face of Lisandro and he is off balance and grappling. He goes to touch his shirt and gets a red card for it.

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“It is not aggressive, there is no jolt, no tug. We have got to be careful where the game is going. It is a shocking decision, absolutely shocking. The red card, that is really concerning. I know he touched his hair. There is a difference to really aggressively touching it.”

What does the loss mean for United?

Despite the loss, United stay on third place on the points table with 55 points from 15 wins, 10 draws and 7 losses in 32 matches. Leeds, on the other hand, jumped to 15 the place out of 20 teams, with 36 points 8 wins, 12 draws, and 12 losses from 32 matches played. The win for Leeds, first against United a Old Trafford since 1981, has put Tottenham Hotspur further deep in relegation pit. The Spurs are 18th on the points table with 30 points from 7 wins, 9 draws and 16 losses in 32 matches. Last three teams in the Premier League, 18-20, get relegated to lower division Championship for the next season.