Manchester United suffered a 2-1 defeat to Leeds United at Old Trafford on 13 April 2026, a result made all the more contentious by two refereeing decisions that interim head coach Michael Carrick described as among the worst he has witnessed.
Noah Okafor scored twice inside the opening 30 minutes to put Leeds firmly in command. United, already struggling to find their rhythm, conceded the first goal following what Carrick believed was an unchecked foul on defender Leny Yoro. “We obviously conceded when Leny Yoro gets a forearm smash in the back of the head and they score the first goal,” Carrick told reporters, as cited by the BBC. “They didn’t decide to overturn that decision. That was a big moment in the game.”
The situation deteriorated further in the 56th minute when referee Paul Tierney, following a VAR monitor review, issued Lisandro Martinez a straight red card for violent conduct. The Argentine defender was adjudged to have pulled the hair of Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin during a physical exchange. Carrick forcefully disputed both the original call and the VAR ruling. “He touches it and he gets sent off. Worse of all, he gets sent to overturn it — a clear and obvious error. Shocking,” he said.
Carrick argued the decision was compounded by the inconsistency of officiating throughout the match, drawing a direct comparison between the Yoro incident and Martinez’s dismissal. “You can elbow Leny Yoro for the first goal, leaning arm obviously, 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. “It’s not a pull, it’s not a tug, it’s not aggressive.”
Despite playing the final 34 minutes with ten men, United did manage to reduce the deficit. A Casemiro header, assisted by a Bruno Fernandes delivery to the back post, gave the hosts a route back into the contest, but the goal proved insufficient to salvage any points. “Second half, I thought the boys the way they went about it, stayed positive and fought to get something out of it after another shocking, shocking decision,” Carrick acknowledged, crediting his players for their response under difficult circumstances.
Carrick also noted that this was not an isolated occurrence, suggesting a pattern of unfavourable decisions in recent fixtures. “Two games in a row we’ve had decisions like that go against us but that one was one of the worst I’ve seen,” he said.
The defeat adds further pressure to United’s campaign, with Carrick operating in an interim capacity following managerial changes at the club. Leeds, meanwhile, secured what has been described as a historic victory at Old Trafford, with Okafor’s brace central to their win. Martinez now faces an automatic suspension following his red card, a significant blow to United’s defensive options in the matches ahead.
Bruno Fernandes also drew attention after the final whistle, reportedly alluding to the consequences of speaking openly about officiating — a sentiment Carrick appeared to share, though the interim coach did not hold back in voicing his displeasure publicly.
