Former Arsenal winger Freddie Ljungberg has criticised Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez following the club’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, saying the Argentine’s conduct on the pitch made him feel sick.

Martinez was sent off in the 63rd minute of Saturday’s Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge after receiving a second yellow card for raising his arm against Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana.

His dismissal further compounded United’s problems, with Cole Palmer converting the resulting penalty to extend Chelsea’s lead to 2-0.

Morgan Rogers had earlier opened the scoring after breaking through United’s defence and delicately lifting the ball over goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

Speaking after the match, Ljungberg, according to Metro, expressed sympathy for Manchester United manager Michael Carrick, arguing that the players were not doing enough to shield him from criticism.

The former Sweden international said Carrick had faced widespread questions about his managerial ability despite the players failing to deliver on the pitch.

“I feel, when I look at that, I feel sorry for Michael Carrick.

“Everybody is slaughtering Carrick in the media and stuff, ‘Is he good enough as a coach, this and that’, the players are not doing it,” he said.

Ljungberg was particularly unhappy with Martinez’s sending-off, revealing that the defender’s actions left him uncomfortable.

“How they behave, Martinez, doing what he did, I was there, and I felt a bit sick,” he said.

He further accused the defender of repeatedly making unnecessary mistakes without considering their impact on his teammates.

“I’ve seen this quite a few times when he does stupid things, doesn’t think about the team first. They let him down,” Ljungberg added.

Meanwhile, Carrick refused to blame Martinez when asked by TNT Sports whether the defender had let him down, responding simply, “No”.

However, the United manager also addressed the defender’s dismissal in his post-match comments.

The defeat leaves Manchester United 17th in the Premier League table, with seven points from nine matches, above the relegation zone only on goal difference.

The result also extended the club’s winless run in all competitions to nine matches, underlining its difficult start to the campaign.

United have recorded just two victories in 13 matches across all competitions this season, beating Ipswich in the Premier League and Sabah in the Champions League.