Ralf Rangnick says wasteful Manchester United only have themselves to blame after making an embarrassing early FA Cup exit at home to Middlesbrough.
A year on from steering Sheffield United to a shock Old Trafford win, Chris Wilder led Championship side Boro to an even more surprising victory as the competition’s fourth round got off to a stunning start.
Jadon Sancho put United into a deserved lead after Cristiano Ronaldo uncharacteristically missed a penalty, but their continued profligacy in front of goal gave the visitors a chance to claw their way back.
Matt Crooks, a former United youth player and lifelong fan, levelled in the second half – a controversial goal given Duncan Watmore handled before he crossed – and Bruno Fernandes then somehow hit the post when he looked certain to score.
The match ended 1-1 and remained so after extra-time, with United striker Anthony Elanga’s missed penalty eventually sealing Boro an 8-7 shoot-out win to the delight of the 9,500 visiting fans.
- Should Boro’s equaliser have stood? Rangnick: It’s clear handball
- Match report: Middlesbrough dump Man Utd out of FA Cup on penalties
- How the teams lined up | Match stats
- FA Cup fixtures | FA Cup results
‘Bruno’s chance was like a penalty’
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Courtney Sweetman-Kirk says that Manchester United should have been out of sight following their shock penalty shoot-out defeat to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.
“We gave away too many chances, especially in the first half,” United interim manager Rangnick said.
“We should and could have easily been up 3-0 after 45 minutes and even in the second half we missed some great opportunities, even after they scored their goal that shouldn’t have stood.
