Table of Contents
- Football fans were left stunned on Wednesday evening as Grimsby Town knocked Manchester United out of Carabao Cup
- Grimsby, who play in League Two of English Football, scored two quick goals in the first half to get into prime position of advancing to the next round
- United levelled the scores in the second half, thanks to goals from summer signing Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire, but it was the League Two side who had the final say in the fixture as they won 12-11 on penalties
Which are the biggest upsets in Carabao Cup? Football fans were left stunned on Wednesday evening as Grimsby Town knocked Manchester United out of Carabao Cup.
Grimsby, who play in League Two of English Football, scored two quick goals in the first half to get into prime position of advancing to the next round. United levelled the scores in the second half, thanks to goals from summer signing Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire. However, Grimsby had the final say on penalties, winning 12-11.
ALSO READ: Grimsby Town stun Manchester United in Carabao Cup
It was another damaging night for Manchester United who are yet to record a win since the start of the 2025-26 season. The Red Devils have only managed one draw and suffered two losses. But Wednesday’s defeat at Grimsby Town will be on the lips of football fans for years to come as it is one of the biggest upsets in Carabao Cup.
Manchester United were knocked out of Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town. Photo/ Manchester Evening News.
This article takes a look at five other shocking results the football world has witnessed in the domestic cup competition.
MK Dons 4-0 Manchester United (2014)
Well, Ruben Amorim is not the only Manchester United manager to suffer a shock Carabao Cup defeat. The Red Devils, led by Louis van Gaal, were humiliated 4-0 by MK Dons the last time they played in the second round of the cup competition back in August 2014.
Will Grigg and Benik Afobe scored two goals each as United suffered a humiliating defeat in Louis Van Gaal’s first competitive match as manager. A young Dele Alli caught the attention of fans with his performance on the pitch which had stars like Javier Hernandez, Anderson, Shinji Kagawa and Danny Welbeck.
Biggest upsets in Carabao Cup. Photo/ The Mirror.
Manchester United 0-3 York City (1995)
The legendary Sir Alex Ferguson also founds himself on the wrong side of history as far as biggest upsets in Carabao Cup is concerned.
To begin with, Ferguson made only four changes from the team that had played the league game the previous weekend. The star-studded United squad had the likes of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Lee Sharp, but were humiliated 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Paul Bernes, the father of Newcastle United’s player Harvey Barnes, scored two goals, including one from the penalty spot to give York City a 2-0 lead. Tony Barras then scored the visitors third goal to seal the win and embarrass United in front of their home fans.
The Red Devils went with another strong team to Bootham Crescent for the return leg two weeks later but despite managing to pull a comeback, York City advanced to the next round on 4-3 aggregate, thanks to Scott Jordan’s strike.
Liverpool 2-2 Northampton (2010)
A star-studded Liverpool team facing League Two side Northampton at Anfield Stadium seemed to be an easy fixture for the English Premier League side. Everything seemed to be going on track when Milan Jovanovic put the Reds in front. However, Billy McKay’s brilliant strike sent the match to extra time where Michael Jacobs put the visitors in front. David Ngog equalized for Liverpool late in extra time, forcing the game to be decided via penalty shootouts.
Liverpool were beaten 4-2 on penalties by Northampton in 2010. Photo/ Planet Football.
Northampton cruised to a memorable 4-2 win on penalties, with Abdul Osman scoring the decisive penalty that knocked Liverpool out of the Carabao Cup. The League Two side beating Liverpool is one of the biggest upsets in Carabao Cup.
Arsenal 1-2 Birmingham City (2011)
When Arsenal faced Birmingham City in the final of the League Cup in 2011, they had gone six years without winning a trophy. While everyone saw the final as an opportunity for the Gunners to end their trophy drought, Birmingham had other ideas in mind.
The score was 1-1 in the penultimate minute of normal time when confusion between Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and defender Laurent Koscielny saw the ball land at Obafemi Martins’ feet. The Nigerian striker made no mistake as he tapped home the ball to spark wild celebrations among the Birmingham faithfuls at Wembley.
