Chelsea beat 10-man Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, piling further pressure on head coach Michael Carrick. Lisandro Martinez was sent off after two bookable offences in the space of one minute and 23 seconds, and his dismissal turned a contest United could have competed in into a rout.
Martinez walked to the tunnel slowly and silently, with the whistles and jeers of the Chelsea fans ringing in his ears. United coach Jonny Evans had a brief word with him, but Martinez paid it no attention. The 28-year-old had starred for Argentina, who won the World Cup in 2022 and reached the final last summer. At Stamford Bridge, however, he did the opposite of what Carrick needed from his senior players.
Eighteen days after Martinez publicly criticised United’s summer recruitment, he suffered a meltdown that will invite questions about his place in the squad. The former Ajax defender had been part of a much-improved United performance, and Carrick’s side should have been ahead at half-time. Even after Morgan Rogers gave the hosts a second-half lead, United still had enough to believe a comeback was possible.
Instead, Martinez committed two fouls that left United 2-0 down and playing with 10 men. Chelsea then cruised to victory.
Martinez sent off for two bookable offences
Carrick did not look at Martinez as he left the pitch. He focused on devising a plan with assistant Steve Holland to get through the rest of the game.
Asked afterwards whether he felt let down by Martinez, Carrick said he had not 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, already on a booking, moved to block Estevao at the far post as he swung over a corner, trying to stop Wesley Fofana. In the process, Martinez 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 review it on the screen, and the obvious conclusion followed.
World Cup final official Darren Cann called Martinez’s actions “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.”
Pundits question Martinez’s future
United avoided a third successive three-goal defeat, a record they had not suffered since 1961, thanks to a tight VAR decision that ruled out an Estevao effort for offside. 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 still had a fair chance at 1-0 down. “At 2-0 and down to 10 men, effectively the game is over,” Warnock said. “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,” Murphy said. “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.”
United’s wider struggles
If Martinez’s actions were inexcusable, United were already losing when they were reduced to 10 men, and that leaves Carrick with plenty of sympathy. In the first half, United looked far better than they had in their three-goal defeats to Como and Bournemouth. They were determined, concentrated and focused. They were not clinical, however. Four excellent chances came and went, with Bruno Fernandes and Amad both blazing off target. Chelsea keeper Mike Penders made two excellent saves, and even late on Bryan Mbeumo‘s blistering shot failed to find the net.
United are now nine games without a win in all competitions, their worst run since 1988-89. They sit 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.”