Michael Carrick criticised referee Paul Tierney after Manchester United were beaten 2-1 by Leeds United at Old Trafford on Monday.

The controversy centred on the second-half dismissal of Lisandro Martinez, who was shown a red card after pulling the hair of Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Following a VAR review, Tierney was instructed to check the pitch-side monitor before issuing the sending-off, with United already trailing 2-0 after Noah Okafor’s first-half brace.

Despite a response from Casemiro that gave Carrick’s side hope, United were unable to recover and suffered a second defeat in his 11-match interim spell.

Carrick expressed frustration after the match, praising his players’ attitude but condemning what he described as a “shocking” decision.

“I thought the boys, the way they went about it, they stayed positive and fought to get something out of it after another shocking decision to send off Lisandro,” he said.

“Two games in a row we’ve had decisions like that go against us, but this one was one of the worst I’ve seen.”

Michael Carrick argued that the initial contact from Dominic Calvert-Lewin on Lisandro Martinez played a key role in the incident that led to the defender’s red card during Manchester United’s defeat to Leeds United.

Carrick claimed Martinez was already off balance when the contact occurred, insisting the challenge was being misinterpreted by officials.

“You can throw your arm in Martinez’s face and then as he’s off balance because of that, he’s half grappling, he half touches the back of his hair which pulls the bobble to come out,” he said.

“I don’t even know what it looks like. It’s not a pull, it’s not a tug, it’s not aggressive. He touches it and he gets sent off.”

He also questioned the VAR intervention, calling it a “clear and obvious error” that was wrongly overturned.

Martinez now faces a potential three-match ban, and Carrick confirmed that the club will review whether to appeal the decision.

“I am going to have to discuss it, but I think it is a bad decision,” he added.

Carrick further expressed frustration over another key moment in the match, claiming Leeds’ opening goal came after a challenge on defender Leny Yoro went unpunished.

“We obviously conceded when Leny Yoro gets a forearm smash in the back of the head and they score the first goal,” he said.

“They didn’t decide to overturn that decision. That was a big moment in the game.”

Manchester United remain third in the Premier League, sitting seven points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea in the race for Champions League qualification via a top-five finish.

With just one win from their last four matches, United now prepare for a crucial trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on Saturday in a key clash that could shape the top-five battle.

Michael Carrick urged focus ahead of the run-in, stressing the importance of bouncing back quickly after a disappointing result.

“This is one game. We’ll certainly look at it and look to improve. We’ve got another big game, an important game next week and a big end to the season,” he said.

“We’re in a really good position. Tonight’s disappointing; we didn’t want to lose and we didn’t want the referee’s decisions to be so bad against us but we move on.

“We’ve got a big end to the season and there’s a lot to be positive about.”