Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has been accused of being a “coward” after he avoided receiving a red card for a challenge in the goalless draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Argentinian jumped in with two feet in a 50-50 challenge with Palace’s Daichi Kamada in the second half and was fortunate to escape with only a yellow card.
While the 27-year-old did take the ball cleanly, the tackle was deemed to be reckless, but did not satisfy of the criteria of ‘endangering an opponent’ when assessed by VAR because no contact was made.
However, former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock launched a scathing attack on Martinez, accusing the United star of being a “coward” by making such a reckless challenge.
“It’s a coward’s tackle, is all it is,” Warnock said on Sky Sports News. “It’s a cowardly tackle to go in and try and protect yourself, I don’t like it.
“The intent’s there. I don’t understand why you’d go in and make that challenge. I think he’s very, very lucky.”
Palace manager Oliver Glasner hit out at Martinez, claiming he could have broken Kamada’s leg. To his credit, the former Lazio midfielder did not exaggerate any potential contact, which could have landed Martinez in trouble.
“For me, it also looked really heavy. Fortunately, I think he touched the ball and not the shin of our player because I think he would have broken his leg,” Glasner said.
“The referee decided no red card. I don’t want to complain about the referee’s decision. We made many more wrong decisions than the referee today.”
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher claimed Martinez was fortunate to avoid contact with him, as it would have resulted in him being shown a red card.
“I think that’s what saved him from getting a red card, without doubt. Why would you make a challenge like that?” Gallagher said.
“It’s so unnecessary and to use Stephen’s words, you’re giving the referee a decision to make. And he has, he’s given the referee a big, big decision to make.
“I think the fact he caught the ball and not the player is his saving grace. He’s so, so lucky that he did get the ball there. If he’d arrived a further foot forward, he’s going to get sent off and get a ban.”
Because Martinez was shown a yellow card at the time and VAR reviewed the incident, he will not face any retrospective action or suspension from the Football Association.
