Lisandro Martinez made his way to the tunnel slowly and silently. The whistles and jeers of the Chelsea fans were ringing in his ears. Manchester United coach Jonny Evans had a brief word, but Martinez didn't pay any attention.
As a player, Martinez has scaled the heights. Part of the Argentina squad that won the World Cup in 2022 and reached the final last summer. But at Stamford Bridge, when Michael Carrick needed his side to step up and his senior players to set an example, Martinez did the very opposite.
Eighteen days after Martinez called out United's summer recruitment, he suffered the kind of meltdown that would have left most United fans questioning whether that poor recruitment involved not turfing the 28-year-old out of Old Trafford. The former Ajax defender had been part of a much improved United performance at Stamford Bridge and Carrick's team should have been ahead at half-time. Even when Morgan Rogers gave Chelsea a second-half lead, they had done enough for the visiting fans to believe a comeback was possible.
Instead, in the space one minute and 23 seconds, Martinez committed two fouls that left Carrick's side 2-0 down and playing with 10 men - with Chelsea subsequently cruising to victory. However this woeful period unfolds, it is unlikely Martinez's recklessness will be forgotten. It was noticeable that Carrick did not look at Martinez as he made his way off the pitch.
He was more concentrated on trying to come up with a plan with his assistant Steve Holland to get through the rest of the game. Asked afterwards if he felt let down by Martinez, Carrick said he had not had a chance to view the incident again. "I've not seen it back, so I don't know if it was or not" adding "it's a big moment in the game".
Carrick continued: "The second goal and losing a man at that stage had a big influence on it, for sure." For context, Martinez, already on a booking, chose the moment Estevao swung over the corner to try and block off Wesley Fofana at the far post. In the process, Martinez raised his elbow and caught the defender in the face. The incident was missed in real time but video assistant referee (VAR) James Bell advised referee Peter Bankes to go to the screen and the obvious conclusion was reached.
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