Man Utd’s Lisandro Martinez sent off for hair-pull against Leeds

Q: Why was Lisandro Martinez sent off in the match against Leeds?

Lisandro Martinez was sent off for violent conduct after pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair during a header, a decision confirmed by VAR.

Q: What was the role of VAR in Lisandro Martinez's red card?

VAR intervened after the referee missed the hair-pull incident, prompting an on-field review that led to Martinez's red card.

(Reuters)

Lisandro Martinez was sent off for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair during Manchester United’s Premier League outing against rivals Leeds.

Martinez jumped for a header with the Leeds striker and grabbed onto Calvert-Lewin’s ponytail on the way down, something that was missed by referee Paul Tierney but picked up on by VAR.

Tierney was promptly advised to go to the monitor for an on-field review and sent off the Argentinian for violent conduct.

Martinez was making his return from injury having been sidelined since February, but his first match back lasted just 55 minutes.

He will be banned for three games, missing United’s matches against Chelsea, Brentford and Liverpool. Defensive teammate Harry Maguire may also be suspended for the Chelsea game.

The sending off came as United trailed 2-0 to Leeds thanks to a first-half Noah Okafor brace.