Premier League titans Manchester United suffered a shocking upset Wednesday, falling to fourth-tier Grimsby Town on penalty kicks in the second round of the 2025-26 EFL Carabao Cup.
First-half goals from Charles Vernam and Tyrell Warren gave the Mariners a lead at Blundell Park, only for United seeming to salvage their hopes with late goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire.
Early-round Carabao Cup play goes directly to tiebreaking penalty kicks in the event of a draw, and Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana’s save on Clarke Oduor in the third round put the Red Devils on the brink of advancement.
However, with Matheus Cunha standing over a potential game-winning spot kick, Grimsby’s Christy Pym did the same, extending the shootout on … and on … and on.
All 11 players from both teams took at least one penalty, and after 11 rounds the score was 10-10. It’s a rare occasion in the sport, but by rule that means the same shooters must go again. Finally, the 13th round saw Grimsby’s Darragh Burns convert for a second time before Mbeumo’s effort smacked the crossbar, leading to thousands of jubilant home fans celebrating arguably the biggest win over 75 years for the Mariners.
Grimsby Town plays in League Two, the fourth — and lowest among the country’s fully professional leagues — tier of the English soccer pyramid. At kickoff, if you stacked the standings from the Premier League, EFL Championship, League One, and League Two in order, there were 55 teams between Manchester United (16th in the Premier League) and Grimsby (fourth in League Two). Grimsby’s last season in the top flight came in 1947-48, and as recently as 2021-22 they were in the semi-professional fifth tier.
It’s the first time a team from the fourth division of English soccer has knocked the Red Devils out of the tournament, and it ends arguably the easiest path for Manchester United to claim a trophy this season. Manager Ruben Amorim’s side is also in the Premier League and will participate in this season’s FA Cup (a different competition encompassing all levels of English soccer).
However, the club’s ability to actually challenge for Premier League honors feels like a distant memory these days, with the Red Devils finishing a woeful 15th last season. That disappointing campaign meant that the club missed out on all three of European soccer’s continental competitions for the first time since the 2014-15 season. With the FA Cup a larger tournament with more rounds to win, the Carabao Cup is widely seen as the easier trophy to lift.
All of which makes losing to a fourth-division team whose roster is valued at €3.6 million by Transfermarkt (a mere €883.6 million off of Man United’s) all the more painful for the Red Devils.
