Premier League explains why Man Utd's Lisandro Martinez wasn't sent off for 'shocking' tackle
The Premier League has confirmed that VAR was in agreement with referee David Coote's decision not to send off Lisandro Martinez for his two-footed challenge on Daichi Kamada.
During the 63rd minute of Saturday's tightly fought 0-0 draw between Manchester United and Crystal Palace, Martinez leapt into the air, landing both feet just centimetres away from where Kamada was controlling the ball.
Despite the United center-back winning the ball and not making contact with Palace's midfielder, the home side were outraged by the decision to only show Martinez a yellow card.
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Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson even dashed out to contest Coote's decision, earning himself a booking in the process. Approximately 15 minutes after the incident, the Premier League's Match Centre account posted an explanation of the decision-making process on social media platform X, confirming that VAR had checked for a red card.
"The referee issued a yellow card to Martinez for a challenge on Kamada," their post read. "VAR checked for a potential red card and confirmed the referee's call of no red card, deeming this was a reckless challenge and made no contact with Kamada."
Martinez's challenge sparked a firestorm of criticism after he escaped being shown a red card, drawing the collective gasp of fans and pundits alike for his tackle. Even Mark Warburton, on commentary duty for BBC Radio 5 Live, couldn't believe it, saying: "I am amazed that Lisandro Martinez was not sent off for that tackle, it could've broken Kamada's ankle and it's not the tackle we want to see in our game."
The Argentine became the target of boos from Crystal Palace fans but remained undeterred as he battled to help Manchester United keep a clean sheet. Despite Martinez's efforts, the Red Devils failed to clinch a win, missing the chance to chalk up three consecutive victories post-international break.
While Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes clanged shots against the woodwork, it wasn't all sailing smooth for United. Crystal Palace, spurred on by Eberechi Eze's near misses either side of half-time, had their own shout for glory.
A double save from Andre Onana kept United in the game during the second half. The Red Devils, keen to snatch victory, introduced Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund late on, yet Erik ten Hag's lads just couldn't find that decisive final touch.