Lisandro Martínez had waited for his first goal at Old Trafford, and he got it in Manchester United's 4-0 Champions League win over Sabah FA. The finish mattered on its own. The bigger moment came on CBS Sports, where a live exchange with Jamie Carragher turned the night into a joke at the pundit's expense.
The CBS exchange
Carragher, Micah Richards, Thierry Henry and Kate Scott were on the CBS Sports panel after the match when Martinez was asked about the old criticism that he could not cope in a back four because of his size. His reply was quick: "I watch quality players, you know?"
It was a neat bit of television because it leaned on memory as much as the goal itself. Carragher had previously said Martinez could not play in a Premier League back four because of his size, before later apologising. Martinez did not need to reopen that debate in a heavy-handed way. He just turned it into a line that landed.
Martinez's night and United's mood
The goal was also his first ever at Old Trafford, and Martinez said it was "an amazing feeling" to score there with his girlfriend in the stands. He added that he was "one of the happiest people in the world" after the game.
This was only his second Premier League appearance of the season, so the strike sits on top of a small amount of league football rather than a long run of attacking output. Even so, it fit a comfortable United performance. Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko and Martinez all scored in the 4-0 win, and Martinez said the team had to "think about the derby" the next day.
United also kept their first clean sheet of the campaign across all competitions in the Sabah victory. Martinez said, "You have to go to every ball like the last one, and I think that's what we did today." That was the sharper part of the evening: not just the joke, but the sense that United were playing with edge again before the derby.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
