Manchester United fell to a 1-0 defeat against Real Sociedad in Erik ten Hag’s first European game as manager in the Old Trafford dugout.
Los Txuri-Urdin took the lead in the 59th minute after being awarded a dubious penalty by the referee.
In what many supporters will feel was a harsh decision, the referee judged Lisandro Martinez to have handled the ball inside the box.
The defender slid to block a David Silva shot that ricocheted off his knee and hit his lower arm. The shameful on-field decision was upheld by VAR.
However, beyond that, Martinez had a fantastic game. The 24-year-old came on in the second half in place of Diogo Dalot, injecting some much-needed aggression and physicality in the back line.
Martinez won an incredible 100% of the tackles he went into.
The defender also successfully completed 100% of his dribbles and won all his duels.
The former Ajax star had 52 touches of the ball.
He successfully registered 34 passes, including one crucial key pass.
Martinez had three tackles to his name and made two vital interceptions within the 45 minutes he was on the pitch.
Lisandro Martinez’s game by numbers vs. Sociedad:
100% tackles won
100% dribbles
100% duels won
52 touches
34 passes completed
3 tackles
2 inceptions
1 key passNever a penalty. 😡😡😡 pic.twitter.com/rayGyzcgZg
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) September 8, 2022
The Argentina international is seemingly growing from strength to strength and what will encourage United fans is he does not seem to be anywhere near the peak of his powers.
He showed his mental fortitude once more, recovering well from conceding the penalty and taking control to shut down the backline from getting penetrated.
