PGMOL issue statement explaining why Lisandro Martinez wasn’t sent off for lunge on Cole Palmer

The PGMOL – the refereeing body of English football – has explained why Lisandro Martinez avoided a red card for his challenge on Cole Palmer during Sunday's clash between Manchester United and Chelsea.

A rare moment of quality from Moises Caicedo cancelled out Bruno Fernandes' penalty as visitors Chelsea secured a hard-fought point to climb above Arsenal in the Premier League table.

It was a far-from-memorable game in Manchester but one of the big talking points came in stoppage time, when referee Robert Jones was met with an awkward decision to make.

With a minute remaining, United defender Lisandro Martinez caught Cole Palmer on the knee with his studs high. VAR Michael Salisbury proceeded to review the incident but to the surprise of many, he did not upgrade the booking to a red.

After the incident, the Premier League Match Centre released a statement on the incident.

"The referee issued a yellow card to Martinez for a challenge on Palmer," they said. "VAR checked for a potential red card and confirmed the referee’s call of no red card, deeming that it was a reckless challenge and not serious foul play."

Roy Keane, meanwhile, said Martinez was "very lucky" to stay on the pitch.

Here's how fans on social media reacted to Martinez's challenge on Palmer.

One said: "How did Lisandro Martínez escape a red card here? The inconsistency in this league is baffling," while another wrote: "How did he get away with it?"

A third commented: "Lisandro Martínez’s biggest asset as a player: Avoiding red cards that in literally any other scenario would be a straight expulsion."

A fourth wrote: "Lisandro Martínez should've been shown a straight red," and a fifth added: "It’s the same as Bruno’s against Spurs that wasn’t a red now all of a sudden they’re campaigning for it to be a red."

"It's reckless, it's nasty...he's got that nasty streak in him"

The Super Sunday panel don't hold back on their thoughts over Lisandro Martínez's foul on Cole Palmer 🟨🤕 pic.twitter.com/5AgPl418d4

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 3, 2024

Thoughts on the incident? Should Martinez have seen red? Let us know in the comments.