‘There is no doubt’ – Enzo Maresca criticises the contentious Manchester United decision against Chelsea

Enzo Maresca, the manager of Manchester United, expressed his opinion that Lisandro Martinez was fortunate not to be sent off for his late challenge on

Cole Palmer, stating, “There is no doubt.” In his inaugural game as interim manager, Ruud van Nistelrooy orchestrated a straightforward victory over Leicester City in the Carabao Cup. However, he was unable to secure two victories in two games against Chelsea. Although Chelsea arrived at Old Trafford in excellent form, having suffered only two league losses this season, it was United who scored the first goal in the second half through Bruno Fernandes. With 20 minutes remaining, Robert Sanchez brought Rasmus Hojlund down, resulting in a penalty kick that Fernandes converted into the bottom left corner. United was required to endure the final exchanges of the match in order to secure a much-needed division victory. However, they conceded just four minutes later following an exceptional strike from Moises Caicedo. Martinez avoided a red card by making a late lunging challenge on Palmer, despite the incident being reviewed by VAR, during the four minutes of injury time that were added at the conclusion of the game. Martinez attempted to strike Palmer with his heel, and Maresca clarified that it was a “clear red card” during the post-match press conference. The Chelsea manager characterised the tackle as a red when there is no intention to pursue the ball and the player is simply targeted. “There’s no doubt about the decision and no, they [the officials] didn’t say anything.” Van Nistelrooy was questioned about the incident and responded, “I have not observed it. To be fair, I observed it on the touchline, and I did not perceive it as a red at that time.” I would need to rewatch it. Maresca also provided an update on Palmer’s condition, stating, “He was in the changing room with ice, so we are currently waiting. Hopefully, it is nothing serious.” The challenge was a red card, which is evident to nearly all of us. However, the referee made a different determination. The 44-year-old also stated, “I believe we effectively managed the game, recognising that we would allow some opportunities on the counter.” I believe that we executed the most challenging manoeuvre in this stadium against this team, which was to recover after they scored. In Italy, the adage is, “If you can’t win, don’t lose.”