Manchester United sank to a new low under Ruben Amorim by getting eliminated by fourth-tier Grimsby Town after a marathon penalty shootout in the second round of the English League Cup this morning.
Grimsby won a dramatic shootout 12-11 at the 9,000-capacity Blundell Park on England's east coast, with Bryan Mbeumo missing the decisive penalty. United needed late goals by Mbeumo and Harry Maguire just to salvage a 2-2 draw in regulation, having trailed 2-0 at halftime.
It will go down as one of the most embarrassing results in United’s history and leaves the team winless in three games so far this campaign, after a woeful 15th-place finish in the Premier League last season.
Grimsby’s jubilant fans stormed onto the field to celebrate with the players after Mbeumo’s spot kick rebounded off the crossbar to seal United’s fate.
The home team is currently fourth in League Two, and finished the match with a line-up containing several academy graduates and a Faeroe Islands international.
United, meanwhile, had 200 million pounds worth of new signings just in its attack in Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko. Cunha also failed in the shootout by having his weak attempt saved.
The result piles more pressure on Amorim, who came into the game with 16 wins from his 44 matches in charge of United after being hired in November.
United was only playing in the second round — for the first time since 2014 — after failing to qualify for European competition last season. That year, the team lost 4-0 at third-tier MK Dons in the second round.
In a dig at his own players, Amorim praised Grimsby for being “the only team that was on the pitch".
“The best players lose because a team can win against any group of players,” Amorim said, "and I think the (United) team and the players spoke really loud today, so that’s it. We lost, the best team won.”
Amorim accused his team of playing “without any intensity".
“We were completely lost and it's hard to explain and that’s why I think they spoke really loud,” he said.
Asked what he meant by that specific comment, Amorim said: "I think it was clear for everybody what happened today.”
Amorim guided United to a 15th-place finish in the Premier League last season — its lowest ever in the competition — and has yet to earn a win in three games this season, after a loss to Arsenal and a draw at Fulham in the league.
“We have a game on the weekend (against Burnley) and then we have two weeks (during the international break). And we will sort things out,” Amorim said when asked where the Grimsby result left him and his team.
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