Manchester United’s nightmare at Stamford Bridge took another dramatic turn, and Lisandro Martínez found himself at the centre of a major controversy!
But what actually happened before the referee showed him the red card? The explanation is even more shocking than many fans expected!
Initially, referee Peter Bankes did not punish Martínez for the incident. However, VAR spotted something important during Chelsea’s corner kick and recommended that the referee take another look at the pitchside monitor.
The footage showed Martínez jumping towards Wesley Fofana with his arm raised, catching the Chelsea defender in the face with his elbow.
After reviewing the incident, the referee awarded Chelsea a penalty and showed Martínez a second yellow card, which automatically resulted in a red card.
And that was not the end of the punishment!
Cole Palmer stepped forward and confidently converted the resulting penalty, putting Chelsea 2-0 ahead and leaving Manchester United with another mountain to climb.
UNITED’S NIGHTMARE CONTINUES!
Martínez had already received a yellow card earlier in the match for pulling Morgan Rogers’ shirt. His second booking made matters even worse, leaving United with just 10 players.
For Michael Carrick, it was another devastating moment in an already disastrous afternoon.
Manchester United were struggling to find answers, and losing another defender through a needless disciplinary incident only made their situation worse.
Was Martínez unlucky, or did he simply make a mistake that a defender at Manchester United’s level should never make?
One thing is certain: this red card has added another explosive chapter to United’s growing crisis!