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Michael Carrick's referee fury is misplaced Lisandro Martinez should have known better

Michael Carrick's tirade at Paul Tierney after Manchester United's loss to Leeds United was misplaced - he should look no further than Lisandro Martinez

[Lisandro Martinez was sent off against Leeds]

Lisandro Martinez was sent off against Leeds(Image: Getty Images)

Lisandro Martinez left Old Trafford with a face like thunder. He headed to his car looking broken and bereft... And who's fault is that?

It's safe to assume the Argentine looked downcast because of self-pity. Not least because his manager had just described the decision to send off Martinez for pulling the hair of an opponent as one of the worst he had seen.

But perhaps Martinez should indulge himself in some self awareness. While hiding a woeful performance and naive tactics behind refereeing decisions, is not a good look for Carrick.

[Lisandro Martinez should have known better]

Lisandro Martinez should have known better(Image: Phil Duncan/Every Second Media/Shutterstock)

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It's the classic distraction tactic his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson became a master of. What Carrick should have said was that it had been one of the worst decisions he'd ever seen a footballer make.

Let's be honest. Tugging the man bun of a rival is not violent conduct. Vinnie Jones's challenge on Steve McMahon in the opening seconds of the 1988 FA Cup final was violent conduct.

As was Ben Thatcher's assault on Pedro Mendes in 2006. The list of challenges to justify a sending off is a long one. But what Martinez did to Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Old Trafford this week should not be added to it.

[Lisandro Martinez pulled Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair]

Lisandro Martinez pulled Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair(Image: Sky Sports)

A free kick would have sufficed. Yet those arguing that common sense should have prevailed, must be living under a rock. This luxury disappeared from football a long time ago.

And the end result is farcical decisions like this. Some of them might stink, but rules are rules. Martinez is well aware he is not allowed to pull hair, chose to ignore the fact, and got punished.

He will now face a three game ban at a crucial stage of the season, leaving Carrick short on defensive options ahead of this weekend's crucial trip to Chelsea.

So if Carrick is looking for someone to blame, he should look no further than Martinez. Martinez is 28, has a wealth of experience at the highest level and has won the World Cup.

In short, he should know better. And Carrick could do worse than remind him of this fact. Rather than venting his anger at a referee who was just doing what he's told to do.

[Jeremy Cross]

Jeremy Cross

Jeremy joined the Daily Star in 2010 as Manchester football correspondent and for more than a decade has served as our Chief Sports Writer. He provides expert coverage on Manchester United and Manchester City, the Premier League as a whole, and the England football team. Jeremy has covered football, rugby and cricket World Cups, as well as Wimbledon, the golf majors and the Olympics.

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