Manchester United suffered a shock defeat to second division Middlesbrough at the Theatre of Dreams on Friday night, in a FA Cup match that saw much drama.
United started the game in dramatic fashion with Jadon Sancho hitting the crossbar in the second minute, but could not capitalise on their dominance.
The Red Devils were awarded a penalty in the 20th minute, but Cristiano Ronaldo, who turns 37 on Saturday, could not convert from the spot. United, however, got their breakthrough four minutes later, courtesy of a beautiful finish by Sancho.
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Despite a blistering start to the second half, United could not extend their lead. Middlesbrough found a lucky break through a controversial goal by Matt Crooks in the 64th minute, after his teammate appeared to control the ball with his hand.
Fernandes missed a golden opportunity to give United the lead in the 72nd minute when hit the post despite catching the Middlesbrough keeper out of position, summing up United’s night. The match remained at 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes, leading up to extra-time, when Middlesbrough held on through dogged defence.
The dramatic match ended in a nail-biting shootout that went into sudden death. Middlesbrough netted all their eight penalties with unreal composure, but Manchester United’s 19-year-old winger, Anthony Elanga, blasted his crucial penalty over the crossbar, resulting in United’s exit from the FA Cup.
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The 19-year-old was “shattered and absolutely disappointed” by his miss, in the words of Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick, and Ronaldo and others were seen consoling Elanga after the match.
Both Manchester United and its some of its players also took to social media to voice their support for the promising youngster.
Elanga is a promising Belgian winger who has scored two goals for Manchester United in a little over 10 appearances for the club.
