📅 October 18, 2026
Lisandro Martínez Taken Off at Half-Time at Leeds, Five Days After the Atlético Interview
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Lisandro Martínez lasted 45 minutes at Elland Road. Michael Carrick took him off at half-time with United 1-0 up and sent on Noussair Mazraoui. No reason had been given when this was published. Six minutes into the second half, Dominic Calvert-Lewin equalised for Leeds.
It was Martínez’s first game since his interview after the 2-0 defeat to Atlético Madrid on Tuesday, and the first time Carrick had picked him since.
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What the first half showed
Nothing in the match data explains it. ESPN’s commentary doesn’t record an injury stoppage for Martínez, and he wasn’t booked. The only stoppage was for Andrey Santos around the 20-minute mark, and Santos carried on. Martínez’s one moment going forward came early on, a shot from outside the box that was blocked. VAVEL’s live blog has the same.
United were defending most of the time. Leeds had 65.4% of the ball in the first half, but Senne Lammens saved all three of their shots on target. Martínez and Harry Maguire were the centre-back pair, with Leny Yoro at right-back and Diogo Dalot at left-back. That’s how the team lined up.
That leaves three possibilities: a knock nobody saw, a tactical change, or a decision about the player himself. Without a word from Carrick or the club, we can’t say which. His post-match press conference is the place to look.
The week before
After the Atlético defeat, Martínez said on Amazon Prime that he expected “more from our technical director”. That interview took over United’s week. He apologised on Thursday night after a meeting with Carrick and the club’s senior staff. On Friday Carrick said: “It’s done, really. We’ve moved on from that.” He added that it was “really not a drama for us as a group.” Sky and the Telegraph reported he’d been fined. The club hasn’t confirmed it.
Starting him today fitted with those words, so taking him off at the break raises the question. One substitution doesn’t prove the two are linked, and that link should be treated as unproven until someone at the club speaks.
What happened next
Mazraoui came on after returning to training this week. Leeds equalised on 51 minutes. Calvert-Lewin finished from the centre of the box after a corner, with Tarik Muharemović credited with the assist. United had held Leeds out for 45 minutes with Martínez on the pitch, and Leeds scored six minutes after he went off. Whether that’s cause or coincidence depends on who did what at the corner. We’ll look at it properly in the match report.
Our half-time report has the first half in full. This page will be updated if Carrick or the club explains the change.
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Sources: The half-time substitution, the score and the equaliser (scorer, minute and assist) are from the Premier League’s official match data (fixture 128988), cross-checked against ESPN’s match data. VAVEL’s live blog also records the substitution, with no reason given, and the Martínez shot. The absence of an injury stoppage or a booking, and the goal coming from a corner, are from ESPN’s live commentary; VAVEL also logs the Leeds corner on 50 minutes. First-half possession and saves are from the Premier League data and ESPN, which agree. Carrick’s Friday quotes are via 101 Great Goals and PA via the Irish News, which also carries the Thursday apology. The fine was reported by Sky Sports and the Telegraph during the week. Accurate as of 54 minutes, Leeds 1-1 United.