Michael Carrick said he did not see the red card incident that defined Manchester United's defeat at Chelsea, a result that extended the club's winless run to nine games in all competitions. The loss leaves United with just one league win from nine outings this season.
Lisandro Martinez was sent off after a VAR check, having received two yellow cards within a couple of minutes. Carrick could not look at the Argentine as he left the pitch early, after Martinez struck Wesley Fofana with his forearm, leaving the referee no choice but to award a penalty and show a second booking.
Carrick's reaction to the defeat
Carrick shook his head when asked if he felt let down by Martinez. The manager acknowledged the frustration of the result, which leaves United at risk of ending the weekend in the relegation zone.
"There is a lot of emotion. We are a great football club but we want to win football matches," Carrick said. "The supporters make a lot of effort and pay a lot of money to watch us play."
"You could see today the boys had the game in the right place and things have gone against us in a big way and unravelled quite quickly. There is a lot of emotion right now."
First-half positives and second-half collapse
There had been positives in the first half, with a tight offside call denying Matheus Cunha a deadlock-breaking goal. However, Chelsea took control early in the second period, with Morgan Rogers opening the scoring and Cole Palmer making the points safe from the spot before a third Blues goal was chalked off for a tight offside.
Some in the away end sang Carrick's name as he approached the travelling fans at full-time. However, that might not be enough after the latest defeat left United with just seven points from their first nine league games.
Pundit criticism and relegation threat
Former United striker Dion Dublin, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live before Carrick faced the press, was critical of the players. "I'm hoping someone mentions the Martinez stupidity because there comes a time where the punters need to be told something because they are travelling all over the country and at the moment they are getting no honesty, and they are getting a lot of players who aren't putting a shift in like they should be," he said.
"I don't think that there are many players in a Manchester United shirt right this moment who are honest with themselves and can look in the mirror and say I'm actually busting a gut every time I put a Manchester United shirt on."
Two of the teams below United, Coventry City and Sunderland, kicked off at 3pm knowing the winner would leapfrog the Red Devils. Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace also began the weekend below United but each knew just a point would lift them above Carrick's men. Forest travelled to Brentford in another of the 3pm kick-offs, with Palace away at Tottenham at 5.30pm.
United's hierarchy have continued to back Carrick despite recent difficulties. It remains to be seen whether they run out of patience any time soon.
