Manchester United fell 2-1 at Old Trafford as man united vs leeds produced Leeds United's first league victory at the ground since 1981, handing interim boss Michael Carrick his first home defeat in charge.
Daniel Farke's side grabbed a stunning first-half lead through a brace from Noah Okafor, and United were left chasing the game after an earlier moment in which Leny Yoro appeared to be struck in the head.
Ten minutes into the second half referee Paul Tierney went to the pitchside monitor following a VAR review by John Brooks and issued a straight red to Lisandro Martinez for violent conduct, ruling a hair pull on Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Carrick described the decision as "one of the worst I've seen" and said the contact did not look aggressive, while Bruno Fernandes refused to criticise the referee directly, saying he did not want to get in trouble.
United pulled a goal back through Casemiro and, despite being reduced to ten men, created chances but could not overturn the deficit, as visiting fans chanted "United are back" late in the match.
Reactions Consequences And Squad Concerns
The red card could bring a three-match ban for Martinez if upheld, a suspension that ESPN said would affect United's selection for upcoming fixtures against Chelsea, Brentford and Liverpool.
Reports noted selection headaches compounded the issue, with Carrick already missing Harry Maguire and having left Bryan Mbeumo and Diogo Dalot out of the starting lineup for the game, while Kobbie Mainoo was absent after a minor training injury.
ESPN reported that Manuel Ugarte has started ten times this season with only one victory, a statistic that highlighted worries about squad depth should Martinez be unavailable for key matches.
Daniel Farke said he was "Very proud" of his team for playing on the front foot, and Carrick stressed the players' reaction after the sending off was positive, adding the loss would not alter the club's objective to finish in the top four.
