Man Utd hands Liverpool double boost as Lisandro Martinez faces ban for bizarre red card

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Liverpool has been handed yet another boost after Manchester United suffered a surprise defeat at home to Leeds, with Lisandro Martinez sent off in bizarre circumstances

Lisandro Martinez was sent off for hair-pulling in Manchester United's clash with Leeds(Image: Getty Images)

Manchester United has left the door open for Liverpool after falling to a surprise defeat at home to Leeds on Monday.

Arne Slot’s side had already benefited greatly from the weekend’s results after returning to winning ways against Fulham, with Aston Villa dropping two points against Nottingham Forest while Chelsea suffered another defeat against Manchester City.

That left Liverpool well placed to secure Champions League qualification with six league games remaining, with the Reds lying fifth and four points ahead of Chelsea. There is still the opportunity for them to climb higher, especially after United’s slip-up completed a near-perfect weekend.

Michael Carrick’s side was left stunned after falling 2-0 behind to Leeds, with Noah Okafor’s double putting the relegation-threatened side in control.

Things got even worse for the Red Devils when Lisandro Martinez was sent off in the second half in bizarre circumstances. VAR intervened after replays showed the defender pulling the hair of Dominic Calvert-Lewin in a challenge, with referee Paul Tierney brandishing the red card after reviewing the footage.

Having been sent off for violent conduct, Martinez will now face a three-game ban, which would rule him out of United’s game against Liverpool on May 3, as well as meetings with Chelsea and Brentford.

Lisandro Martinez will be banned for Manchester United's game against Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

Commentating on the game for Sky Sports, Gary Neville gave a blunt verdict on Martinez’s red card, saying: "You are not getting away with a hair-pull.

"Martinez is looking perplexed and confused. But a hair-pull results in a red card these days. He knew what he was doing."

Despite being reduced to 10 men, United did pull a goal back through Casemiro, but they couldn’t complete the comeback, handing Liverpool the perfect boost ahead of Tuesday’s quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

The Reds now sit three points behind both United and Villa, and still have games against both teams to come next month, as well as Chelsea.

That means, despite their own poor form this season, Liverpool has an opportunity to finish ahead of their main rivals for the Champions League places, and claim third behind Arsenal and Manchester City.

Liverpool’s remaining Premier League games

Everton (A) - April 19

Crystal Palace (H) - April 25

Manchester United (A) - May 3

Chelsea (H) - May 9

Aston Villa (A) - May 17

Brentford (H) - May 24