Manchester United fans lauded defender Lisandro Martinez after the Argentine put his head on the line to ensure a Nottingham Forest player wasn't able to take a shot on goal.
The Reds centre-back started alongside Victor Lindelof on Wednesday night as Erik ten Hag's men secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over their Premier League rivals at the City Ground. United's convincing first-leg victory all-but sees them into the Carabao Cup final, with the second leg at Old Trafford to come next week.
Marcus Rashford, Wout Weghorst and Bruno Fernandes were all on the scoresheet for the away side as Ten Hag's side recorded their sixth clean sheet in the last 10 matches.
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Martinez took some time to get back into the starting line-up after his World Cup triumph with Argentina, but the 25-year-old looks to have regained his spot under Ten Hag. The former Ajax man, who has made 28 appearances for the Reds this term, quickly became a fan favourite with his passionate and gutsy displays.
The Argentine came off far worse in an aerial duel with Jean-Philippe Mateta during United's 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace last week - suffering a heavy blow to the head that left him bloodied and in need of treatment. He wore a protective headband in the second-half of that match and did the same against Arsenal and Forest.
Despite suffering a blow to the face just last week, he wasn't afraid to put his head where it may well have hurt against Cooper's side on Wednesday night. As Morgan Gibbs-White threatened to control a cross and unleash a strike at David de Gea, Martinez dived towards the ball and headed it out for a corner.
Thankfully, his head did not make contact with Gibbs-White's boot, but it didn't stop United fans from praising his dedication to stopping the opposition from scoring:
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