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Premier League reaction as Leeds earn vital and famous 2-1 victory at Manchester United It's their first league win over Man Utd since 2002 and first league win at Old Trafford since 1981 The result moves them to six points clear of the relegation zone with just six matches remaining - Opta now give them a 2. 24% chance of relegation Lisandro Martinez was sent off for a hair-pull on Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the second half; a decision described by Michael Carrick as 'one of the worst ever' The result is a hit to Man Utd's Champions League qualification chances, with a trip to Chelsea coming up on Saturday Carrick played down the impact of the 24-day gap between fixtures, although it would explain why his side were so sluggish, writes Simon Stone Written by Alastair Telfer, Tasnim Chowdhury, Elizabeth Botcherby & Grace Wheeler. Man Utd 1-2 Leeds Opta's supercomputer has been busy predicting which clubs have a chance at securing their spot at the top of the table. After losing to Leeds, Manchester United's probability has dropped slightly but there is still a 91. 95% chance of a top-five finish. Brighton, Everton and Brentford all have a outside chance of a top-five finish. Here's how it looks: Click 'Get Involved' to have your say Whether you agree with the law or not, it's clear it was the correct decision, as evidenced by the past decisions mentioned. There's no justification for doing it, and someone having long hair shouldn't be a reason for another player to get away with it. Martinez knew what he was doing. Jonny Players who don’t accept red card decisions and feign surprise - even when they're caught red-handed (like Martinez last night, following all the others who spread their arms in mock surprise) - should have an extra match added to their ban. It's hard enough for officials nowadays without being further undermined. Marlon Man Utd 1-2 Leeds Should a hair-pull be a red card? Have your say at the top of the page. Man Utd 1-2 Leeds Simon Stone BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter Michael Carrick seemed to be taking a chapter out of Sir Alex Ferguson's play book with his ferocious attack on the decisions that went against Manchester United last night. Ferguson frequently targeted officials and their decisions after disappointing results. The tactic has two purposes. Firstly, it serves notice the officials are not going to get an easy time of it and perceived injustices will get called out. I am sure Carrick genuinely thought Leny Yoro was impeded for the first Leeds goal and Lisandro Martinez was unjustly sent off in the second half. But, almost of more importance, it deflects attention away from an overall performance, which last night, until Martinez's dismissal bizarrely, was poor from Manchester United. Leeds were on the front foot from the first whistle, had two glorious chances to score in the first half beyond the two goals they did get, and fully deserved their success. Carrick played down the impact of the 24-day gap between fixtures, although it would explain why his side were so sluggish. The big question is how will they respond? They go to Chelsea on Saturday. A rare victory at Stamford Bridge, or even a draw, will keep them on track to claim a Champions League spot. Defeat – with home matches against Brentford and Liverpool to come – will leave Carrick's side in a precarious position. Click 'Get Involved' to have your say The zero-tolerance approach to hair-pulling is meant to act as a deterrent. You absolutely have to give the red card yesterday, or accept that it's no longer zero tolerance - and expect players to try it on each week. George What is Carrick on about? The referee doesn't get sent to the screen to overturn a clear and obvious error, as he didn't initially give a foul or a card. Martinez has two grabs at the hair - it's a clear red card every day of the week. Darryl Man Utd 1-2 Leeds Gary Neville Former Manchester United defender on Sky Sports Lisandro Martinez looks perplexed and confused: 'What have I done? ' He's pulled his hair and that results in a red card, nowadays. He knows what he's doing there. Click 'Get Involved' to have your say The correct decision. Martinez is exactly why we need VAR. This was actually a consistent decision from VAR, in line with the Keane one, which saw the appeal declined. I'm not a VAR fan, especially when it comes to fingernail offside decisions! Alan Man Utd 1-2 Leeds Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane and ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher sympathised with Carrick's side. Keane told Sky Sports: "I can see both sides. When you class this as violent conduct this seems really harsh. It is harsh but when looking at the laws you have to accept it. " While Carragher added: "I think that is soft. He is going for the ball, trying to grab hold of something and he has got it for half a second. .. I don't think any football fan, any player is thinking that is a red card. " Click 'Get Involved' to have your say The red card was the right call according to the letter of the law, but did it have an impact on the result? Possibly. Leeds should have been out of sight by half-time. As a Man United fan, I have to give Leeds the credit they deserve - they were the better team last night. Mark United played better with 10 men anyway. So, in my opinion, it changed the game from potentially being 4-0 to ending 2-1. Carrick should be glad - the red card spared his blushes. Yusaf Man Utd 1-2 Leeds In relation to William's message, the situation in the game has no relevance on a sanction for a hair-pull. Any hair pulling is categorised as 'violent conduct'. Man Utd 1-2 Leeds While hair pulling is not specifically mentioned in the Laws of the Game, it is categorised as 'violent conduct' as it cannot be considered as something you would legitimately do when challenging for the ball. Everton's Michael Keane received a three-match suspension for pulling the hair of Wolves' Tolu Arokodare in a 1-1 draw in January. "If you have longer hair, then there's a fair chance you'll get it pulled, " Everton manager David Moyes said at the time. At the start of 2023-24, Tottenham's Cristian Romero wrongly escaped a VAR red card after pulling the hair of Chelsea's Marc Cucurella - that proved to be a reference point for the future. Southampton's Jack Stephens was dismissed for doing it to Cucurella, as was Paris St-Germain's Joao Neves at last summer's Club World Cup. Click 'Get Involved' to have your say Having another look at it, there is clearly contact from DCL as well. It is not a clear goalscoring opportunity, so that is barely a yellow in my eyes. Another reason to get rid of VAR. William Man Utd 1-2 Leeds Man United manager Michael Carrick said Lisandro Martinez's red card was "one of the worst" decisions he has seen. Martinez, 28, was shown a straight red by referee Paul Tierney for pulling the hair of Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin and will now face a three-match suspension, although Carrick suggested afterwards the club could appeal against the decision. Carrick was left fuming at the dismissal, saying: "That decision was one of the worst I've ever seen. He [Calvert-Lewin] can throw his arms in Licha's [Martinez's] face - and then he's sent off. Shocking. "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. "Worse of all, he gets sent to overturn it, a clear and obvious error. Shocking. He is off balance and grappling. "We have got to be careful where the game is going. It is a shocking decision, absolutely shocking. " This video can not be played Manchester United 1-2 Leeds United: Martinez red is 'shocking decision' - Michael Carrick Click 'Get Involved' to have your say Do we feel Lisandro Martinez's red card for pulling the hair of Dominic Calvert-Lewin was fair? It had a huge factor on the result. Man Utd 1-2 Leeds Man United were trailing 2-0 to Noah Okafor's first-half double when Lisandro Martinez tried to stop Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin by holding his hair in an off-the-ball incident, after being caught in the face himself. Referee Paul Tierney was instructed to review the incident on the pitchside monitor by the video assistant referee (VAR) before sending off Martinez. "After review, Manchester United 6 is guilty of pulling his hair - violent conduct. Final decision is red card, " Tierney announced to the stadium. The Premier League Match Centre posted on X: "After VAR review, the referee issued a red card to Martinez for violent conduct. " Man Utd 1-2 Leeds This video can not be played Okafor fires Leeds to victory against Man Utd This one was full of drama. Leeds’ Noah Okafor bagged two goals before Lisandro Martinez was sent off for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair. Casemiro did manage to pull one back for Man United, but Leeds held on to record a famous win. Man Utd 1-2 Leeds Leeds turned up at Old Trafford to produce a huge result in their fight to stay up, with the 2-1 win also stunting Man United's bid to finish in the top five. All the reaction is coming your way. Who saw that one coming? Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.