Middlesbrough knock Manchester United out of the FA Cup in a 7-8 penalty shootout after a tense 1-1 draw at Old Trafford despite Manchester United’s dominance.
After the two sides had converted 15 consecutive spot shots in a high-quality shootout, Anthony Elanga blasted the final penalty over the bar and into the Stretford End, sparking wild jubilation among the 9,000 travelling fans.
United had dominated the game for extended stretches before that, taking 30 shots to Middlesbrough’s six, but Cristiano Ronaldo pulled a 20th-minute penalty wide following a foul on the returning Paul Pogba, setting the tone for a wasteful performance.
Middlesbrough had progressed for only the second time in 11 meetings with Premier League competition, following their equally surprise victory against Manchester City in 2015.
Middlesbrough’s disputed equalizer, scored by Matt Crooks, who tapped home despite Duncan Watmore clearly handled in the build-up, will irritate United.
They only had themselves to blame after missing multiple opportunities in a game in which they had 30 shots on goal, the most glaring of which came when Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in the first half.
With a goal in his FA Cup debut, Jadon Sancho appeared to have put United on the road to the last 16.
Instead, United’s best opportunity of winning a trophy has vanished.
The FA Cup fifth round draw will take place on Sunday at 11:40 GMT.
A controversial moment
Who’d have guessed a change in the handball rule would have such an impact on the match’s outcome?
Following IFAB’s summer change of the rule’s interpretation, unintentional handball is now only penalized if the player in issue scores a goal.
Despite the fact that the ball obviously struck Watmore’s hand before he lobbed the vital pass to Crooks, referee Anthony Taylor ruled it an accident since the ball had bounced up off the Middlesbrough midfielder’s body. VAR Stuart Attwell double-checked this and agreed with Taylor’s assessment.
Given that Ralf Rangnick had been tapping his arm for the previous several seconds and was doing it again as Taylor gestured to the centre circle, urgently looking for someone to appeal to, it’s safe to presume United’s interim manager did not agree with the officials.
Manchester United had a bad night.
United had only themselves to blame for the situation they found themselves in.
Sancho lobbed against the bar from the outside of the box after a dreadful mix-up in the Boro defenders, before Bruno Fernandes blasted over when it appeared easier to score.
Fernandes didn’t have a really pleasant evening. He felt he was offside when he walked over from eight yards away, unnoticed. However, television replays revealed that the goal would have stood. That miss was on par with when he hit the post in the second half with the game on the line.
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Then there was Ronaldo, whose night was summed up late in extra time when he attempted a 10-yard ball to Fred that he overhit straight to an opponent, causing the Brazilian to make a clumsy challenge at the price of a yellow card to guarantee the home goal was not jeopardized.
When Ronaldo missed his penalty, the crowd erupted louder than when Boro equalized.
In a game of razor-thin margins, the Portuguese missed the bottom corner by a couple of millimeters after Anfernee Dijksteel slid and collided with Paul Pogba. But that was sufficient.
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Sancho did score via to a deflection, but United’s wastefulness kept the visitors in the game, making the VAR debate all the more important. By the end, it was Dean Henderson who was needed to ensure the match went to penalties, blocking Aaron Connolly’s goalbound shot.
If United’s evening wasn’t bad enough on the pitch, they also had to deal with embarrassment off it when a technical issue prevented them from serving food or beverages at halftime, prompting cries of “we want Glazers out” from a part of the United crowd.
Wilder is back on the clock
This wasn’t the first time Wilder had walked away from Old Trafford with a victory.
Sheffield United beat Middlesbrough 2-1 in January 2021, when they were even less favoured than Middlesbrough is currently.
Middlesbrough’s defending was weak at first, but they improved as the game progressed.
Joe Lumley, the goalkeeper, recovered from a couple of early gaffes and improved his positioning to make some crucial stops.
Middlesbrough’s attack was given a focus with the entrance of Watmore, a local lad who began his career at nearby Altrincham, and it was a harsh irony for United academy product Crooks to score against the team he grew up supporting.
The visitors’ penalties were also confident, with Henderson only narrowly missing one, Middlesbrough’s second, from Martin Payero, which went under his body.
