Rooney rips Martinez's 'horrendous' defending as United slump to 17th after Chelsea loss
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney tore into Lisandro Martinez after the Red Devils' 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge Saturday, calling the Argentine's defensive effort on Morgan Rogers' goal "horrendous" and "schoolboy level." Rogers collected the ball at the centre circle in the 50th minute and drove straight through United's backline before lifting it over goalkeeper Senne Lammens. Rooney, speaking on The United Stand, said Martinez merely waved an arm at Rogers instead of putting his body across to stop him.
Martinez's afternoon unravelled further: he earned a yellow for pulling back Rogers, then a straight red 82 seconds later for catching Wesley Fofana with a raised arm defending a corner. Cole Palmer converted the penalty to seal Chelsea's win. United now sit 17th in the Premier League, winless in nine matches across all competitions.
The suspension rules Martinez out of Sunday's trip to Aston Villa—a massive blow for a defence already leaking goals. United have conceded multiple goals in four of their last five league outings. Manager Ruben Amorim must now reshuffle his backline with Victor Lindelof or Jonny Evans likely partnering Harry Maguire.
For Nigerian fans tracking the EPL title race and top-four battle, United's freefall matters: they're now closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League places. The next five fixtures—Aston Villa, Everton, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City—will define whether this is a slump or a season lost.
Can Amorim fix a defence that looks rudderless without Martinez, or does United's top-four hope effectively end before Christmas?