Ruben Amorim apologised to Manchester United supporters after his side suffered a humiliating League Cup elimination at the hands of fourth-tier Grimsby Town.
United looked to have salvaged the night when Harry Maguire’s 89th-minute header levelled the score at 2-2 after a disastrous first-half display left them trailing 2-0. But a marathon penalty shootout ended 12-11 in Grimsby’s favour when new signing Bryan Mbeumo struck the crossbar.
Grimsby deserved their win, often outplaying their illustrious opponents and showing greater fight. Amorim hinted at a lack of desire from his players, remarking: “I felt my players spoke really loud today what they want.”
When asked what went wrong, the Portuguese manager was blunt: “Everything. The way we started, we were not even here. When everything is so important at our club, everything that happened tonight is a problem. We should do so much better. I just have to say sorry to our fans.”
United’s only realistic chance of silverware this season now lies in the FA Cup, after already missing out on Champions League qualification last term. Amorim admitted his frustration at recurring mistakes: “I would like to say very smart things and very important things. I have nothing to say. That is the biggest problem. To see the same mistakes and nothing to say in this moment. I’m really sorry for our fans.”
Goalkeeper Andre Onana endured a nightmare return, conceding cheaply for Grimsby’s opener and failing to deal with the cross for their second. Amorim, however, refused to single him out: “It’s not about Andre. The best team won. But this is a fourth division team. It’s more than that.”
