Lisandro Martinez was sent off as Chelsea beat 10-man Manchester United, piling further pressure on head coach Michael Carrick. The Argentina defender left the pitch slowly and silently, with the Chelsea fans jeering him.
Martinez, a member of the Argentina squad that won the World Cup in 2022 and reached the final last summer, undid much of United’s improved work at Stamford Bridge. Eighteen days after he criticised United’s summer recruitment, the 28-year-old produced a meltdown that will leave many United supporters questioning his place at Old Trafford.
The former Ajax defender had been part of a much-improved United performance. Carrick’s side should have been ahead at half-time, and even when Morgan Rogers gave the hosts a second-half lead, the visiting fans believed a comeback was possible.
Instead, in the space of one minute and 23 seconds, Martinez committed two fouls. They left United 2-0 down and playing with 10 men, and Chelsea went on to win comfortably.
Martinez sent off
Carrick did not look at Martinez as the defender walked off. He was focused on working out a plan with his assistant Steve Holland to see out the rest of the game.
Asked afterwards whether he felt let down by Martinez, Carrick said he had not yet seen the incident again. “I’ve not seen it back, so I don’t know if it was or not,” Carrick said, adding: “It’s a big moment in the game.”
He continued: “The second goal and losing a man at that stage had a big influence on it, for sure.”
Martinez was already on a booking when he chose the moment Estevao swung over a corner to try to block Wesley Fofana at the far post. He raised his elbow and caught the defender in the face. The incident was missed in real time, but video assistant referee James Bell advised referee Peter Bankes to check the screen, and the decision was clear.
World Cup final official Darren Cann described Martinez’s actions as “inexplicable”. “He jumped into him, making no attempt to play the ball and not even looking at the ball as it came in from the corner,” Cann said.
“Martinez was rightly sent off for two bookable offences, as well as conceding a needless penalty for the reckless challenge on Fofana.”
Criticism mounts
United avoided a third successive three-goal defeat, which would have been their first since 1961. A very tight VAR decision ruled out Estevao’s effort for offside, which kept the scoreline from getting worse.
Martinez will now serve a suspension for next Sunday’s Premier League match against Aston Villa at Old Trafford.
Former England and Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock said United were still in a decent position at 1-0 down. “At 2-0 and down to 10 men, effectively the game is over,” he said.
Warnock added: “If the player sent off holds his hands up and says ‘sorry, boys, I’ve let you down’ it can defuse the situation, but the issue is that Martinez is making mistake after mistake at the moment.”
Former Chelsea and England midfielder Joe Cole was blunter on TNT Sports. “In a Man United shirt, he’s just at the scene of the crime too often,” Cole said. “Whatever the next Man United phase is, I think Martinez’s time at the club has run its course.”
Former England midfielder Danny Murphy was equally scathing on the radio. “Lisandro Martinez has got a lot to answer to, because the first goal was mainly his fault. The sending-off is absolutely ridiculous,” said Murphy.
Murphy went further: “Obviously, he is going to apologise in the dressing room, but his mindset is not right to play. You can’t rely on him. He is a liability.”
Asked whether he would pick Martinez again, Murphy said: “No, I wouldn’t, only because he looks like he has already gone. His head isn’t right. He is not going to be there long term, that is evident.
“Michael has got to make some big decisions. You can’t have a liability in your team. That petulance, that behaviour on the pitch is not acceptable.
“He has been poor for a while and he has had injury problems. He is not the answer.”
Relegation fears grow
If Martinez’s actions were inexcusable, United were still losing when they were reduced to 10 men, and that leaves Carrick with plenty of sympathy.
In the first half, United were far better than they had been in their three-goal defeats to Como and Bournemouth. They were determined, concentrated and focused. However, they were not clinical.
Four excellent chances came and went. Bruno Fernandes and Amad both blazed off target when they should have done much better. Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders made two excellent saves, and even late on, Bryan Mbeumo’s blistering shot could not find the net.
United are now nine games without a win in all competitions, their worst run since 1988-89. They are teetering on the brink of the relegation zone for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson’s early days.
On Tuesday, they host Serie A side Roma at Old Trafford, and they need a win to keep their Champions League qualification hopes alive. Before the match, the expectation had been that Carrick would be in charge for that game.
“There’s no words I’m going to explain to you now that makes any difference,” Carrick said. “It’s not going to change it. We’ve got to move forward and win football matches, it’s as simple as that.
“The way they went about it and played, the quality of football and the way we played in the first half definitely gives encouragement, and we’ve got to take that.”