Graham Barber backs VAR decision to send off Lisandro Martinez

Former Premier League referee Graham Barber believes that VAR and Peter Bankes made the correct call in sending Lisandro Martinez off during Manchester United's 2-0 loss to Chelsea on Saturday.

Martinez, 28, received his marching orders in the 63rd minute at Stamford Bridge after being shown two yellow cards within just four minutes in the second half.

The Argentine was first cautioned for fouling Morgan Rogers near the edge of the United box. Rogers had turned past Martinez twice before bringing the ex-Aston Villa player to a halt.

From the resulting free-kick, Chelsea earned a corner, with Martinez assigned to mark Wesley Fofana. However, he lost track of his man, ultimately chasing him to the back post and elbowing him in the face without even glancing at the ball.

Bankes initially dismissed Chelsea's appeals, but VAR soon suggested an on-field review for the foul. The 44-year-old eventually reversed his decision, pointing to the penalty spot and issuing a second yellow card to Martinez.

Barber, who officiated for eight years in the top flight, has shared his thoughts on the decision, asserting that Bankes and VAR reached the right conclusion in sending off Martinez.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Barber stated: "The first yellow card that he got, I mean, he probably fouled the player three times.

"So not only did he grab him once, then he went and grabbed him the second time, then he put his leg round him and pulled him down.

"And then when I saw the incident for the corner, he never looked at the ball once. I don't think he even looked at the player who was taking the corner kick, he's just come across, he hasn't looked it, he's made a beeline for the opponent and just smashed him.

"You could say they were the better team in the first half, and then he does something stupid like that, which completely changes the outcome and the game situation, so, quite an easy one for the referee and also another good example of VAR to be fair."

Martinez's red card capped off another disappointing afternoon for United, who extended their winless streak to nine matches with the defeat to Chelsea.

Despite a promising first-half display from Michael Carrick's team, who were unlucky not to lead at the break, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer found the net for the Blues in the second half, condemning the Reds to a third consecutive defeat.

This result has intensified the pressure on Carrick, with United dropping to 17th in the Premier League table, sitting outside the relegation zone only on goal difference.

The Reds will face Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday, aiming to secure their first win since mid-September, before hosting Aston Villa in the league on Sunday.

Following that, they will enter a two-week international break before a challenging trip to Liverpool. It remains uncertain whether Carrick will still be in charge for the Anfield match, but United must turn their fortunes around quickly to ensure his job security.

Source: GiveMeSport