Manchester United are shocked – the Red Devils have crashed out of the FA Cup after a loss against Middlesbrough after penalties. Ralf Rangnick’s side was unable to beat the Championship side and after 120 minutes of struggle, they were defeated in a penalty shoot-out, following Anthony Elanga’s miss in the eight round of shoot-out.
It is not that the Swede will be the one to blame, as Man United had too many opportunities to win the game, but failed to do so. Jadon Sancho opened the scoring 25 minutes into the game, when everything was looking well and rosy, but Matt Crooks’ strike 20 minutes into the second half changed everything. In the end, after 15 goals from the spot in the shoot-out, it was unlucky Elanga’s off the target shot that ended the match. Here is what we learned from this terrible result for Man United.
Rangnick’s Man United Are The Same As Solskjaer’s
There are absolutely no differences between Ralf Rangnick’s Man United and the final few months of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Devils. In fact, the biggest debate could be made out of the question whether this team is actually performing worse? Because, there has almost never been a game in which Man United did not struggle, which could also be said of Norwegian’s team in the final few months of his helm. The game against Middlesbrough has at least give the club officials a clear answer to whether their decision to give Rangnick just a six-month contract was actually a wise decision…
Ronaldo And Bruno Had To Snatch The Win
This was the game Anthony Elanga’s missed penalty ultimately ended, but it was the Portuguese duo that stood out with their mistakes. The two leaders in Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes did not manage to score from incredible opportunities, costing United a win in regular 90 minutes. First, it was Ronaldo 20 minutes in who missed the whole goal from the penalty, something we rarely see happen. And then, Bruno missed an open goal from the 16-yard line midway through the second half, just before Middlesbrough equalised. These things do happen, but their misses encapsulated a big part of United’s season…
Sol Bamba At The Heart Of A Big Upset
Just a year ago, Sol Bamba was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. He immediately started chemotherapy to fight the disease and in May 2021, former Ivory Coast international announced he was cancer-free. Now, against Man United, he entered the pitch after 118 minutes, took the fifth penalty and scored. At 37 years of age, he managed to do something incredible and while just few months ago admitting that he never really thought he could make a comeback into football. A truly inspiring story.
Man United (Probably) Six Years Without Silverware
Ultimately, this shocking loss means Man United will most probably go another year without winning silverware. The cup competitions were their best chances, but after exiting from the League Cup, they have now crashed out of the FA Cup as well. In the league there were never any chances and the Champions League is now about trying to somehow get to the quarterfinals, past Atletico Madrid, the champions of Spain. No one is even thinking about those games yet after such a poor result last night and considering Man United have not won any silverware since Europa League in 2017, it looks like the Red Devils will go at least six years without a trophy.