- Manchester United drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday
- Lisandro Martínez only received a yellow card for a foul with both feet
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A former Premier League defender has branded Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez a coward after what he deemed a dangerous tackle on Daichi Kamada on Saturday.
The Red Devils were forced to settle for a point at Selhurst Park after squandering a number of golden opportunities.
Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes hit the crossbar within seconds of each other in the first half, while Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson denied his former club with a number of impressive saves.
And there was an ugly moment in the second half when Martinez jumped and made a tackle with both feet on Kamada.
Fortunately for both sides involved, he only made contact with part of the ball, but the nature of the challenge left many feeling he was lucky to only see one yellow card.
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Lisandro Martínez only received a yellow card for this foul on Daichi Kamada
And former Liverpool and Aston Villa left-back Stephen Warnock cannot understand what the Argentine was thinking.
“It’s a cowardly tackle,” he told Sky Sports. “That’s all. It’s a cowardly tackle to go in and try to protect yourself. I don’t think I like it. The intention is there. I don’t understand why you would do that tackle. He’s very, very lucky.”
“Why would you make a foul like that? It’s totally unnecessary. You’ve given the referee a decision to make. You’ve given him a very, very important decision to make, but the fact that he was the one who caught the ball instead of the player is his salvation.
Stephen Warnock has called the Manchester United player’s tackle a “cowardly challenge”
The VAR reviewed the entry but Martinez was saved because he did not make contact with Kamada
“He’s very lucky to have received the ball there. Why make a tackle like that? Without a doubt, if he were to go one step further, he would be sent off and penalised.”
“The VAR checked for a potential red card and upheld the referee’s decision not to show a red card, considering that it was a reckless foul and he made no contact with Kamada,” the Premier League Match Centre said on social media.
