Manchester United have suffered the embarrassment of crashing out of the League Cup at the hands of fourth tier club Grimsby Town, in an epic penalty shootout at Blundell Park.

New signing Bryan Mbeumo hit the bar and missed to end the marathon shootout at 12-11, and hand the League Two club a second round victory.

Fellow new signing Matheus Cunha had the chance to seal victory with United at 4-4 in the shootout, but his penalty was saved by Grimsby goalkeeper Christy Pym.

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In regulation time, United came from 2-0 down after half an hour to extend the contest to penalties.

Charles Vernam opened the scoring for the hosts in the 22nd minute before Tyrell Warren doubled their lead eight minutes later, with the reaction to his tap-in following goalkeeper Andre Onana’s howler nearly blowing the roof off the little more than 9,000 capacity venue.

Grimsby Town fans storm the field to celebrate their victory over Manchester United in penalty shootout in an English League Cup second round soccer match, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, at Hill Blundell Park in Grimsby, England. (Nigel French/PA via AP)Source: AP

United were unable to strike back until Mbeumo scored his first goal for the Red Devils since joining from Brentford in the 75th minute.

Harry Maguire then saved United from the humiliation of 2-1 defeat with a back post header in the 89th minute levelling the scores.

Grimsby had been holding on for dear life, but they eventually let a second goal through as United consistently put their defence under pressure, taking 28 shots to ten and boasting 71% possession.

“We went 2-0 up and everyone was probably a bit surprised to be in that situation,” Grimsby midfielder Kieran Green said.

“I know they’ve come back but we’d have took 2-2 going into the death.

“Them getting the equaliser at the end, we’re the team winning at that point because we’d have took that.

“Before the shootout the gaffer said, ‘Lads, all the pressure is on them.’ And it was, really.”

GRIMSBY, ENGLAND – AUGUST 27: Grimsby Town fan celebrates victory following the penalty shoot out during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Grimsby Town and Manchester United at Blundell Park on August 27, 2025 in Grimsby, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

United’s blushes could not be spared in the shootout as the defeat is arguably the worst night of Ruben Amorim’s tenure.

The Portuguese manager had to endure ‘sacked in the morning’ chants from the home fans, who took great delight in inflicting misery upon one of the Premier League’s highest spenders.

United’s squad value is an estimated £769 million (A$1.59b), while Grimsby’s a slither of that figure with their entire squad worth £3.1 million (A$6.43).

“It doesn’t matter if we recover [from 2-0 down] or not. It’s the signs the team made during the game. The beginning of the game,” Amorim told Sky Sports.

“I know that the best team won, the only team that was on the pitch. The best players lose, because one team can win against any group of players.

“I think the team and the players spoke really loud today. That’s it. We lost. The best team won.”

When asked to clarify what he meant by saying his players “spoke really loud”, Amorim replied: “It’s really clear what they spoke. Let’s move on from this day. I think it was really clear for everybody what happened today.

“It’s not just the space, but the way we started the game without any intensity. All the ideas of the pressure, we were completely lost. It’s hard to explain. That’s what they spoke really loud.”

It was not as if Amorim fielded a side without his big names either.

Goalkeeper Onana was recalled for his first appearance of the season, and reminded United fans why he has been much aligned as he missed a punch that led to Grimsby’s second goal.

“It’s car crash TV as far as United and Onana are concerned,” Sky Sports’ Alan Smith said on commentary.

“It always transmits to your defenders if your goalkeeper is a nervous wreck.”

Amorim was not willing to lay the blame with Onana, however.

“With all due respect, when you play against a fourth division team, it’s not the goalkeeper, it’s everything,” he told Sky Sports.

“It’s the environment, it’s the way we face the competition. We know that in the moment, people will pay attention to everything, it’s massive – every detail. We showed that performance today. My players spoke for me, really loud.”

The likes of Maguire and Cunha also started, while new striker Benjamin Sesko made his first start for United.

GRIMSBY, ENGLAND – AUGUST 27: Players of Manchester United looks dejected during the penalty shootout during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Grimsby Town and Manchester United at Blundell Park on August 27, 2025 in Grimsby, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

Patrick Dorgu and Amad Diallo joined Cunha as starters, having also done so in the 1-1 draw at Fulham on the weekend.

Mbeumo came off the bench and so did star midfielder Bruno Fernandes.

The fourth tier club have made a habit of taking down giants in cup clashes in recent times as two seasons ago they made it to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, becoming the first team to defeat five sides from higher divisions in the process.

Grimsby have made an unbeaten start to the League Two season, picking up 11 points in five games to sit fourth on the table.

GRIMSBY, ENGLAND – AUGUST 27: Bryan Mbeumo of Manchester United looks dejected after missing his teams thirteenth penalty during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Grimsby Town and Manchester United at Blundell Park on August 27, 2025 in Grimsby, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

In the first round of this competition, they defeated fellow League Two side Shrewsbury 3-1.

“I said to them before the shootout started, it’s a technical thing, it’s a psychological thing,” Grimsby’s manager David Artell told ITV.

“Their techniques are fine. You’re going to feel nervous walking up, butterflies, all the rest of it, don’t worry about that.

“This is the accumulation of 15 months, 18 months, all in one night.

“Look, they’re an unbelievable team. They’ve got an unbelievable manager, and they’re on the right track. You can see that.

“But we’ve got an unbelievable group of players as well.”