From hero to villain. Lisandro Martínez (28, Man United) swung between extremes in just a few minutes.
Manchester United lost 1-2 to Leeds United in the 2025-2026 Premier League round 32 match at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on the 14th (Korea time). At the center of the match was Lisandro Martínez.
Judging by the first half alone, Martínez was the player who saved Man United. Man United conceded multiple goals to Noah Okafor before the 30th minute of the first half and fell behind 0-2. Leeds kept pressing.
A decisive moment came in the 45th minute of the first half. Man United's defense made another mistake. Tanaka Ao intercepted the ball inside the box, got past goalkeeper Sene Ramens and left only an open goal.
At that moment Martínez threw his body in. He slid in and cleared the ball just before Tanaka's shot. It was effectively a defensive act that prevented a goal. Old Trafford applauded for the first time in a while.
Even Roy Keane acknowledged it. According to the Daily Mail, he said on air, "0-2 is bad enough, and if that moment hadn't happened the game would have been over," and noted, "Man United kept making mistakes at the back and lacked concentration. Martínez should be praised."
But the subsequent assessment was ruthless. Keane harshly criticized, "Man United were terrible. They seemed to think they would win automatically. Two midfielders did not play at all, and their decision-making was a mess. They were too lax."
Jamie Carragher also criticized, "Man United were completely beaten. It's almost fortunate it wasn't 0-3. Leeds erased Man United from the pitch."
The problem came in the second half. Early in the second half, Martínez did something hard to understand while contesting the ball with Dominic Calvert-Lewin. He pulled the opponent's hair.
Video assistant referee (VAR) intervened immediately. Referee Paul Tierney, after an on-field review, promptly showed a red card. Martínez, who had been applauded as a hero, became a villain after being sent off within minutes.
The Daily Mail reported, "After saving his team with a dramatic goal-line clearance, Martínez ruined everything himself by absurdly pulling hair."
[OSEN]