Manchester United travel to Chelsea on Saturday night in a game that begins a three match ban for Lisandro Martinez. “Lucha” is suspended for this one and the next two (unless United win an appeal with the Football Association) due to his being charged with “violent conduct” in the 2-1 loss to Leeds United on Monday night.
According to the ruling by referee Paul Tierney, the Argentinian central defender pulled on the hair of Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. United interim manager Michael Carrick was most certainly not a fan of the ruling!
Chelsea FC vs Manchester United FYIs
Kickoff: Saturday April 18, 8pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Team News: Man United Chelsea FC
Premier League Standing: Chelsea FC 6th, 48 pts Manchester United 3rd, 55 pts
Google Result Probability: Man United win 31% Draw 26% Chelsea FC win 43%
Man United Team News
He was left fuming over the call made by the official.
“That decision was one of the worst I’ve ever seen,” Carrick said. “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.”
It was certainly a controversial call on what was a very frustrating evening for the Red Devils. United was down 2-0, in the second half, when the incident occurred.
Elsewhere Kobbie Mainoo was absent versus Leeds United, and he’s a doubt for this match, due to a lower leg injury that he suffered in a training session last weekend.
“Over the last day or so, Kobbie just had an issue in training,” Carrick said on Monday.
“It seems small, but big enough to keep him out tonight.
“It wasn’t worth the risk, to be honest, so we’re hoping it’s pretty small, and it won’t be too long.”
Moving on, and stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Matthijs de Ligt suffered another setback in his rehab. At this point, we should likely just accept that he’s probably done for the season. The goalposts just keep getting moved back with him.
However, Patrick Dorgu is getting closer towards a return.
“The reason [De Ligt] didn’t come [to Ireland] is he’s not quite on the grass,” Carrick said on Friday. “Patrick came back because he’s further on, but Matta isn’t quite at this stage yet.”
Dorgu might be ready to return in a couple weeks or so. And then finally, Harry Maguire is suspended for this one.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.