Middlesbrough dramatically knock out Man Utd from FA Cup after controversial goal and penalty shootout

The encounter between Manchester United and Middlesbrough got English football off to a flying start after a two-week break. The FA Cup 1/16 match gave us a surprising and dramatic twist, with the underdogs beating the clear favourites – something that the world’s oldest tournament is famous for. 

There was no sign of trouble, with Ralf Rangnick opting for a classic 4-2-3-1 formation that switched to 4-2-2-2 and 2-4-3-1 on positional attacks. Overall, the flow of play reflected the nature of the contest between the EPL and Championship clubs, with both possession percentage and shots/passes serving as proof of that (MU were in possession 70% of the time).

However, while watching it, there was no impression that the hosts are vastly outclassing Middlesbrough. The visitors’ third of the field had the ball only 34% of the time, and of the 30 shots on goal of Joe Lumley, not a single one came from inside the box. Yes, territorially MU held the initiative, but Wilder’s teams never pretended to have possession, they always tried to take the shortest possible path to strike.

One of the things that struck the eye was the high number of unnecessary mistakes by United’s players, 25 times they lost a match in this meeting. Apparently, the players haven’t realized the holiday is over, and they’re still finding their best form. And the tense information atmosphere around the team also plays a role.

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In the 20th minute, the referee awarded a penalty to the visitors, which Cristiano Ronaldo, who had his 37th birthday this Saturday, sensationally failed to convert as he missed the target.

So the scoring was opened by the club’s most expensive acquisition, Jadon Sancho. 

Some time after that Matt Crooks managed to level the score.

As a result, both teams were unable to decide in regulation and extra time. And Chris Wilder‘s side was luckier on penalties (1-1 in regulation time, 8-7 on penalties).

There was a great amount of controversy about Middlesbrough’s goal. Yes, there was a handball from Duncan Watmore and everyone was expecting a goal to be cancelled out. But if you review the moment, it begs the question, why does Harry Maguire switch off from the episode and raise his hand before the whistle has blown? And what was Raphael Varane doing at the time also raises questions, particularly his position: he pulled out failed to tackle the ball and missed the player which resulted in a goal.  And, well, VAR in England is a very confusing and unpredictable thing.

And how did Manchester United react to conceding the ball? They didn’t. From 64 minutes to the end of the match, the hosts fired 13 shots, five of which were from outside the box, while only three hit the target. Even Middlesbrough had a chance that was more likely to result in a goal.

It should be noted that Bruno Fernandes and Dean Henderson were almost the only players in the Man Utd squad who could not be blamed as they gave 101% of them. 

The Portuguese did a lot of work, delivered and assist, he also was the brightest on the pitch throughout the match. And the Englishman as a whole was very reliable and there was nothing he could have done in the scoring moment – not his fault.

We keep waiting for miracles from the German coach, but so far there are none. After the relegation the calendar is more relaxed, there will be more time to train pressing, which, by the way, almost brought a goal in this match – unfortunately the number 10 hit the post.

“We gave away too many chances, especially in the first half. 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.” 

United interim manager said.

“But Bruno’s chance was almost like a penalty as well, so we have to blame ourselves for giving away and wasting too many opportunities in the game. And, in the end, if it’s on penalties it’s also a question of luck and in the end, we lost that game and we are all incredibly disappointed.”

• The reigning FA Cup winners are Leicester, who beat Chelsea 1-0 in last year’s final match.