In a stunning upset at Blundell Park, Manchester United were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by fourth-tier Grimsby Town, falling 12–11 in an epic penalty shootout following a 2–2 draw in regulation time.
Grimsby shocked the visitors with two early goals in the first half—Charles Vernam opened the scoring, followed by a second strike from former United youth player Tyrell Warren, capitalizing on a costly error by goalkeeper André Onana . United rallied in the second half: Bryan Mbeumo, making his first United goal, halved the deficit in the 75th minute, and Harry Maguire equalized late with a header, pushing the match into penalties .
The penalty shootout turned into a nerve-wracking marathon. Despite United’s Onana saving one attempt, matched by a save from Grimsby’s goalkeeper Christy Pym, it came down to a sudden-death kick. Mbeumo’s second miss, when his shot hit the crossbar, sealed the historic defeat—Grimsby triumphed 12–11 .
Manager Rúben Amorim, who had made several changes to the lineup including giving debuts to new signings Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha, apologized afterward, describing the team’s performance as “completely lost” and acknowledging Grimsby were the better side . The result casts doubt on Amorim’s future as scrutiny mounts following another disappointing cup exit.
For United, the shock defeat stings—a League Two club has achieved a remarkable win, marking one of the biggest flops for a Premier League giant in Carabao Cup history.
