Manchester United were eliminated in the second round of the Carabao Cup by League Two side Grimsby Town after one of the wildest penalty shootouts fans will ever see.
Ruben Amorim named a strong side including a first start for Benjamin Šeško plus Amad Diallo, Matheus Cunha, Patrick Dorgu and the return of André Onana.
The Red Devils looked far from settled as Grimsby put them under considerable pressure at times. Twenty minutes in and the home side were very much in the game despite Man Utd holding 60% possession.
Despite some early sights at goal, the Red Devils were first to concede.
Darragh Burns found Charles Vernam unmarked in the box with a cross which the latter controlled with poise. The second touch was a rifled shot at the near post beating Onana for the opener. A stunning moment just about halfway through the first 45. Things went from bad to worse eight minutes later from a corner routine. Onana came off his line to try and punch the ball away, but the Cameroonian keeper missed as the ball bounced around and Tyrell Warren tapped it home. Question marks of handball arose, but with no VAR the goal stood.
Singing of “Sacked in the morning” started after the first goal, but became even louder after the second. Šeško nearly got one back with a strong header, but keeper Christy Pym did well to deny the Slovenian. The half ended with Grimsby up by two goals, a nightmarish showing for the Red Devils.
Amorim made three major changes out of the tunnel bringing on club captain Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo and Matthijs de Ligt. To make matters worse, the weather conditions intensified as rain started pouring down.
Man Utd certainly pressured the Grimsby box more in the second half, but were resigned to crossing efforts as they struggled to play through the middle. Pym made another outstanding save to deny a long range strike from Fernandes. Still, they were late to second and third balls in the box to the chagrin of Amorim despite the attacking talent on the pitch.
Mbeumo finally found a way back into the game with his first goal for Man Utd. A left-footed curler from the edge of the box had Pym rooted to his spot. They finally got back on level terms in the 89th minute as Harry Maguire scored an equaliser. De Ligt had a golden chance to win it at the death, but his effort went over the bar resulting in a penalty shootout.
After the first two on each side scored, Onana made a massive save to deny Clarke Oduor with an outstretched hand deflecting the ball onto the crossbar. Mason Mount and Diogo Dalot scored, but Cunha had his attempt saved by Pym to force sudden death. The shootout went all the way down to the goalkeepers and around as Onana and Pym both scored their chances.
It took until the 26th attempt for Mbeumo, the once-hero on the night, to rattle the crossbar ending the tie. The Grimsby fans stormed the pitch to celebrate as Man Utd exited the cup in the second round.
A shocking result for Amorim who is now under considerable pressure after already dropping points in consecutive games to open the Premier League season.
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