Lisandro Martinez, the defender for Manchester United, has come under fire for being a “coward” after he escaped a red card for a challenge during Saturday’s goalless draw with Crystal Palace.
During a 50-50 battle with Palace’s Daichi Kamada in the second half, the Argentinean leapt in with two feet and was lucky to only receive a yellow card.
Although the 27-year-old received the ball cleanly, the tackle was judged to be reckless and did not meet VAR’s definition of “endangering an opponent” because no contact was made.
But Martinez was the target of a vicious assault from former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock, who called the United star a “coward” for making such a careless challenge.
“It’s just a cowardly tackle,” Warnock stated on Sky Sports News. “I don’t like it; it’s a cowardly tackle to try to defend oneself.
“That is the intention. Why you would enter and issue that challenge is beyond me. I believe he is extremely fortunate.
Oliver Glasner, the manager of Palace, lashed out at Martinez, saying he might have fractured Kamada’s leg. To his credit, Martinez avoided getting into trouble by not overstating any possible interaction with the former Lazio midfielder.
It also appeared hefty to me. Luckily, I believe he touched the ball rather than our player’s shin because I believe he would have broken his leg,” Glasner remarked.
“No red card, the referee ruled. I have no complaints regarding the referee’s ruling. Today, we made a lot more bad choices than the referee.
Martinez would have received a red card if Martinez had made contact with him, according to former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher.
“I have no doubt that’s what kept him from receiving a red card. Why would you pose such a challenge? stated Gallagher.
“It’s needless, and as Stephen put it, you’re giving the referee a choice to make. And he’s given the referee a very important choice to make.
“I believe his saviour is the fact that he caught the ball and not the guy. How fortunate he is that he managed to get the ball there. Had he put forth more effort, he would have been dismissed and banned.
Martinez will not be suspended or subject to any kind of retroactive sanction from the Football Association because he was given a yellow card at the time and VAR examined the event.