Martinez red card and penalty gift hand Chelsea control against 10-man United

Lisandro Martinez’s moment of madness handed Chelsea a decisive advantage against Manchester United, as the Argentine defender conceded a penalty and was dismissed for striking Wesley Fofana in the face during the second half.

Michael Carrick’s side had been the stronger team in the opening 45 minutes and believed they had taken the lead through Matheus Cunha, only for the goal to be ruled out for a marginal offside. The momentum shifted early in the second half when Martinez was caught out of position, allowing Morgan Rogers to get past him too easily before scooping a composed finish over goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

Worse was to follow for United. From a Chelsea corner, Martinez — with his back to the ball — struck Fofana in the face with both hands. The on-field referee missed the incident, but VAR intervened, awarding a penalty and upgrading Martinez’s booking to a red card.

TNT Sport commentator Ally McCoist was unsparing in his assessment. “Ridiculous defending, you’re just jumping into him, that’s a penalty,” McCoist said as the replay aired. “Somebody explain to me why that’s not a penalty?”

Once the decision was confirmed, McCoist continued: “It’s unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable. He runs right across, look, absolutely crazy, crazy.”

McCoist also turned his attention to Carrick’s reaction on the touchline. “Exactly who I’m thinking about right now, Michael Carrick. Look at that. He can’t look at him and nor should he.”

The dismissal left United facing the remainder of the match with ten men, having been reduced from a position of relative control to one of significant difficulty inside the space of a few second-half minutes.