Manchester United bowed out of the Carabao Cup after losing 12-11 on penalties to League Two side Grimsby Town on Wednesday night. It marked a historic low for the club, their first-ever defeat to a fourth-tier opponent in the competition, and has dramatically intensified pressure on manager Ruben Amorim.
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Match Recap & Manager Reaction
Grimsby stunned United with early goals from Charles Vernam and ex-United youth product Tyrell Warren. Goals from new signing Bryan Mbeumo and a late Harry Maguire header forced penalties. But in an 18-minute shootout, United faltered as Mbeumo struck the crossbar, sealing the upset.
Coach Amorim was scathing of his side’s character, lamenting they “looked completely lost” and labelling the performance “unacceptable.” Despite attempts to rally his team, the lack of intensity and cohesion was apparent.
Why the Pressure Is Intensifying
- Amorim’s United tenure stands at just 7 wins in 29 Premier League matches, a 24.1% win rate, placing him in the same statistical bracket as Neil Warnock, who twice suffered relegation from the Premier League.
- After 26 league games, Amorim oversaw just 24 points, yielding a 0.92 points-per-game average, the worst ever for a manager of a “Big Six” club at this stage.
- United enter the season with only one point from two league matches, and their Carabao Cup collapse was their earliest exit in over ten years.
What should have been an opportunity to showcase United’s depth turned into an embarrassing exit that echoes wider issues in the squad. The manager’s strategy, squad morale, and individual accountability are all under the microscope. With domestic form faltering and another cup exit, the question teams and pundits now ask is: How much longer will the club’s hierarchy tolerate this?
