Manchester United were dumped out of the Carabao Cup in the second round as Rúben Amorim’s side fell to a marathon penalty shootout defeat against Grimsby Town.
The home side started brightly, testing André Onana with a flurry of dangerous crosses before Charles Vernam opened the scoring with a thunderous strike. Moments later, former United Academy trialist Tyrell Warren capitalised on a poor attempted punch from Onana to double Grimsby’s lead, leaving United in disarray.
Amorim reacted after the break, introducing Bryan Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, and Matthijs de Ligt in an effort to turn the tide.
As the rain poured down, United threw on more attacking options and were rewarded when Mbeumo coolly finished from a Kobbie Mainoo pass. Deep into stoppage time, Harry Maguire rose highest to head in a Mason Mount corner and force penalties.
Despite Onana denying Grimsby’s third spot-kick, misses from Matheus Cunha and Mbeumo in an exhausting 26-penalty shootout sealed United’s exit from the competition.
Jones could not believe Amorim continued with a back five
With United pushing to score two goals in the final 20 minutes, Amorim chose to throw on Mason Mount, making it seven attackers on the field.
However, what was slightly baffling was that Mount found himself as the left wing-back, and on numerous occasions, centre-back Matthijs de Ligt found the ball at his feet in the box.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the tie, former United defender Phil Jones explained that he could not believe that Mount had been handed a wide role with the side still building on a back five, with a spare body in defence when they should have been further up the pitch.
“When he changed and put Mason Mount in that position, they still went with a back five, but they were building with a back five against Grimsby, who were sitting on the edge of the box,” Jones explained, baffled.
“Your spare man was almost in build-up when you needed that spare man sort of further higher up the pitch to make an overload out wide or through the middle.”
De Ligt and Mount were in the wrong places
Continuing from Jones’ comments, fellow pundit and former player Jobi McAnuff further looked to point out that United’s spare man in the final third ended up being De Ligt, when Mount would have clearly been the better option in and around the opposition penalty area.
“How many times was that spare man De Ligt, for example, in that build-up?” McAnuff questioned, with Jones nodding in agreement.
“He’d be the one joining in, and with the greatest respect to him, he should have an attacking player getting into the box, where a lot of the time it was a defender, an extra man, that it just seems crazy that he’s so wedded to this formation, at all costs and at any circumstance in a match.
“He’s almost forcing people into positions, whatever the state of the game is, it just seems absolutely baffling to me, that there’s just no flex at all, and I just feel that that is definitely something, yes, application, understanding of what the game was about.
“I thought they were miles off it in that first half in particular, as if they rolled up today and just had no idea of what’s going to be expected at Grimsby Town away on a Wednesday night.”
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