Ruben Amorim refused to watch 'unimportant' penalty shootout vs Grimsby

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim shunned the penalty shootout as his side were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by League Two side Grimsby Town, as fan frustrations mount.

Manchester United suffered one of the biggest upsets in recent Carabao Cup history on Wednesday night, losing 12-11 on penalties to League Two side Grimsby Town.

United trailed 2-0 at half-time but fought back through Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire in the final 15 minutes to force a shootout.

However, after a marathon exchange of spot-kicks, Mbeumo struck the crossbar with his second effort, sealing United’s elimination in the second round.

Amorim states ‘the penalty shootout was not important’

United boss Ruben Amorim explained why he refused to watch the decisive shootout, choosing instead to sit alongside his coaches on the bench.

“The penalty shootout was not important. The beginning of the game, during the game — that’s what mattered. If I’m there trying to see if we win the game, it doesn’t matter,” Amorim told ITV after the match.

The Portuguese coach went further, admitting that he felt it would have been 'unfair' for United to reach the next round given how poorly they had performed across the 90 minutes.

“If we win this game, it’s unfair on the opponents. So today, the football was fair, congratulations to them,” he added.

For the head coach, the focus was less on the drama of the shootout and more on his players’ failure to impose themselves earlier in the contest.

Fans call for ‘Amorim Out’ after Carabao Cup humiliation

Manchester United supporters made their feelings clear after the shock defeat, with many taking to social media to vent frustration at both the performance and Amorim’s refusal to watch the decisive penalties.

On X (formerly Twitter), #AmorimOut began trending shortly after full-time, with fans describing the loss to League Two Grimsby as “a new low” for the club.

Attention now turns to whether Sir Jim Ratcliffe will keep faith with Amorim, or bow to growing fan pressure.