Ex-Premier League referee claims Lisandro Martinez could've 'ended Cole Palmer's career'
Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez escaped a red card during Sunday's 1-1 draw with Chelsea after catching Cole Palmer with a raking tackle in the closing stages
by Nathan Ridley · The MirrorFormer Premier League referee Keith Hackett claims that Lisandro Martinez could've ended Cole Palmer's career in a tackle which should be 'outlawed'.
Martinez used his studs to rake down Palmer's leg in the final few minutes of Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday. England star Palmer had produced a fine piece of skill to flick the ball away from Martinez, who responded by lashing out.
The Chelsea playmaker went down in pain and Martinez was immediately shown a yellow card by referee Rob Jones. Replays showed how the United centre-back's boot landed on Palmer's knee before catching the lower half of his leg but Jones' colleague, Michael Salisbury, didn't recommend a VAR check.
Ex-ref Hackett disagreed with the decision and wrote in his column for the Telegraph: "The landing area of the boot was on Palmer's knee and quite clearly it endangered the player's safety. Referee Rob Jones was in a good position to view the incident and decided yellow. He probably concluded that there was insufficient force behind Martinez's challenger to warrant a stronger sanction.
"That for me was a clear and obvious error and VAR should have asked the referee to go and review the incident on the pitch-side monitor. We have seen a lot of yellow cards this season but the laws, which were penned to protect players by issuing red cards, should be enforced when appropriate."
Hackett went on to argue that Jones was let down VAR. "It was the type of tackle that can end a player's career. The Professional Game Match Officials Ltd should be more rigorous in enforcing this policy," he declared.
"Jones has had his career enhanced this season by taking charge of some big matches and this game at Old Trafford was probably his biggest yet, but he has been let down on this occasion by VAR."
Get involved! Should Lisandro Martinez have been sent off? Have your say in the comments section.
The Premier League issued a statement on the incident shortly after the final whistle which read: "The referee issued a yellow card to Martinez for a challenge on Palmer. VAR checked for a potential red card and confirmed the referee’s call of no red card, deeming that it was a reckless challenge."
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was furious post-match, saying: "They showed me (a replay) before the press conference, I think it is quite clear for all of us. The referee is there to make a decision, he took a different decision. For me, when there is no intention to go for the ball and just the player, is a red."
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky Sports deal
Sky Sports launches discounted Premier League package
£46 (was £56)
Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £240 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.