“I don’t think…” Manchester United receive Lisandro Martínez red card verdict after Adama Traore tackle

Manchester United have received a verdict on Lisandro Martínez’s potential red card challenge on Adama Traore against Fulham on Sunday evening.

Manchester United battled to a 1-0 victory over Fulham on Sunday evening, with Lisandro Martínez’s deflected strike proving the difference in a tense Premier League encounter.

Fulham started brightly, controlling possession and testing André Onana with speculative efforts, while United struggled to find rhythm. Amad was effectively nullified by an outstanding performance from Antonee Robinson, who marked the winger out of the game.

United’s breakthrough came in the 78th minute when Martínez unleashed a long-range effort that took a wicked deflection, looping over Bernd Leno and into the net. Amad thought he’d added a second in stoppage time, only for his composed finish to be ruled out for offside.

Despite an uninspired performance, Rúben Amorim’s side secured an important win, showing resilience as they continue to build momentum.

Martínez red card verdict given

Despite Martínez’s match-winning goal and Player of the Match display, there has been a lot of talk surrounding an incident in the 60th minute that led to questions surrounding if the centre-back should have been sent off.

Martínez lunged with both feet into Adama Traore, and although he did not make much contact and was left injured himself, many feel that he was close to being sent off.

However, ex-Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has explained that although the challenge is questionable, he feels it is not worth a red card.

“It’s not a wise challenge, I don’t know why he does this,” Gallagher explained on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch.

“I don’t think that could have been a red, because he’s come such a short distance and he hasn’t caught the player – but I think it’s certainly a foul because you can’t tackle two-footed anyhow. It’s just the nature of how he does it.”

What Amorim said about Martínez’s challenge

after the fixture, United head coach Amorim was asked if he is worried about the rashness Martínez sometimes employs in his game and whether the player is close to crossing a line.

Read More: Rúben Amorim addresses Manchester United star’s “nightmare” performance vs Fulham

“I cannot spend two months saying that we need to be more aggressive and fight more and then I say to Lisandro, ‘don’t fight too much’,” he said in reply.

“So it’s a balance. The important thing is that Licha doesn’t want to harm another footballer, that is the most important thing. He wants to win and he shows this every time.”

Speaking further about the 27-year-old, Amorim said: “I think when the centre defenders play well with the ball, we play well. It’s something that Licha does really well, he can take the ball. He has to continue and the other guys have to improve also in that area.”

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