After a dismal 2024-2025 season, fans might have thought Manchester United had reached their lowest point in history, finishing 15th in the final standings. But that's not the case.
The nightmare continued at the start of the 2025-2026 season. United sank even deeper after being eliminated by fourth-tier English football team Grimsby Town in the second round of the Carabao Cup.
Manchester United may have been familiar with the term "crisis" recently due to their poor performances. But the defeat to Grimsby Town in the second round of the 2025 Carabao Cup marked a new, unbelievable low point.
The club with a European heritage was forced to end a long night at Blundell Park with their heads bowed after being eliminated on penalties 11-12, after a 2-2 draw in normal time.
For Ruben Amorim, a manager just entering his first full season at Old Trafford, this match was more than just a defeat. It was a stark reminder of his reputation, and perhaps the beginning of a breakdown in confidence in the project he had built.
United had previously never lost to a fourth-tier side in this competition. Eleven times they met, they emerged victorious. However, that record was shattered by Grimsby, a club that has traditionally struggled in the lower echelons of English football.
Grimsby appeared confident from the start. Charles Vernam opened the scoring, followed by Tyrell Warren, who capitalized on a lapse in United's defense. They even had a chance to make it 3-0 before it was ruled out for offside.
It wasn't until the final 15 minutes that United fought back through Bryan Mbeumo and a Harry Maguire header. Maguire's 89th-minute goal gave the illusion of a classic Fergie-era comeback . But reality spoke otherwise. In the penalty shootout, the home side's composure outshone United's expensive squad.
This was a humiliating setback. A stunning defeat.
