August 27, (THEWILL) — Manchester United suffered a humiliating Carabao Cup exit on Tuesday night, falling to League Two side Grimsby Town in one of football’s most memorable penalty shootouts.
The Red Devils were eliminated 12-11 on spot kicks after a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford. Ruben Amorim fielded a strong lineup including Benjamin Šeško’s first start, alongside Amad Diallo and Matheus Cunha.
Grimsby stunned the home crowd by taking control early in the match. Darragh Burns delivered a precise cross to Charles Vernam, who controlled expertly before firing past André Onana at the near post.
Eight minutes later, confusion from a corner kick allowed Tyrell Warren to tap home after Onana missed his attempted punch clear. “Sacked in the morning” chants echoed around Old Trafford before the interval.
Amorim responded by introducing Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo, and Matthijs de Ligt for the second half. Mbeumo curled home a left-footed effort from the penalty area edge to reduce the deficit.
Harry Maguire completed the comeback with an 89th-minute equaliser. De Ligt squandered a golden opportunity to win the match when his close-range header sailed over the crossbar.
The subsequent penalty shootout became an instant classic, extending to sudden death before requiring both goalkeepers to take attempts. Onana made a crucial save early in the sequence, tipping Clarke Oduor’s effort onto the crossbar.
Christy Pym answered with heroics of his own to deny Matheus Cunha. Both keepers successfully converted their own penalties before the marathon shootout reached its 26th attempt, where Mbeumo’s effort struck the woodwork.
The result places immediate pressure on Amorim following disappointing English Premier League performances against Arsenal and Fulham.
United have now failed to win any of their opening three matches of the current campaign, across all competitions.
Grimsby’s victory is one of the competition’s greatest upsets, with their supporters invading the pitch to celebrate a triumph that will be remembered for decades.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
