"He killed us in this game", "Kiwior is better than him" - Fans rip into Manchester United star after 4-3 loss to Tottenham
Fans on social media have slammed Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez after the club's 4-3 loss against Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-final of the EFL Cup on December 19. It was the third loss for the Red Devils against The Lilywhites in five games across all competitions.
Ruben Amorim went with the defensive trio of Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, and Leny Yoro in the game. However, the defense looked lackluster with Martinez committing some crucial errors leading to chances for the home side.
The Argentine attempted only one tackle in the game and lost half of his ground duels. Furthermore, his failure to clear the ball in the penalty box made way for Dejan Kulusevski to make it 2-0 for the Spurs in the 46th minute.
Manchester United fans online lambasted the Argentine defender for his underwhelming display in the knockout game. Some popular comments on X are as follows:
"Lisandro killed us in this game man," a fan wrote.
One fan compared him to Jakub Kiwior of Arsenal, writing:
"Jokes aside, Kiwior is better than Lisandro Martinez."
"Some serious questions over Martinez...been poor all season. Most have I know but particularly disappointed on Licha's levels," a user opined.
Goalkeeper Altay Bayindir was another Manchester United player who was underwhelming for the Red Devils on the night.
"Licha and Bayindir will ask God for blessings and see curses .. f*cking idiots," one chimed in.
"At least we showed some character, Bayinidir and Licha shockers," opined another.
"Bayindir has costed us this game in collaboration with Licha," declared a Manchester United faithful on X.
"Bayindir and Licha disasterclass," inferred another on X.
Despite going 3-0 down courtesy of goals by Dominic Solanke (15', 54'), and Dejan Kulusevski (46'), Manchester United made it 3-2 by the end of 70 minutes after Joshua Zirkzee (63') and Amad Diallo (70') scored.
However, Hueng-Min Son's 88th-minute goal put the game out of reach of the visitors. Jonny Evans finally scored United's third in the additional time to end the game 4-3.
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim explains why he dropped Marcus Rashford from the squad for Spurs clash
In an interview before the kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Ruben Amorim explained why he had dropped Marcus Rashford from the Red Devils squad. According to the Portuguese tactician, he chose players who he felt were better prepared for the game than the 27-year-old Englishman. He said: (via Metro)
"Selection. I choose the players that I feel that are ready to cope with the demands of playing a strong game. I tried to visualise all week and then choose my players. Just selection."
He also referred to a Rashford interview earlier this week in which he talked about his desire to leave the Premier League giants. Amorim said:
"If this was me, probably I will speak with the manager. But, guys, let’s focus on Tottenham. Tottenham is the most important thing. It's a hard situation to comment [on]."
He continued:
"If I give a lot of importance it will have big headlines in the papers and if I say it's not a problem then my standards are getting low. My focus is to not take the attention away from the game and the team and what we did in the last game."