Manchester United winger Ashley Young missed his spot-kick in the penalty shootout with Middlesborough which saw the Red Devils crash out of the Capital One Cup at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
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The visitors held Louis van Gaal’s side to a goalless draw through 90 minutes and extra time, and then secured a famous 3-1 penalty shootout triumph over their illustrious rivals to secure safe passage through to the quarter-finals of the competition.
Boro goalkeeper Tomas Mejias proved to the be the hero on the night as he saved penalties from Wayne Rooney and Young either side of a Michael Carrick miss to see them through.
It will be a bitterly disappointing blow for Van Gaal who would have undoubtedly hoped to have competed on various fronts for silverware this season.
In addition, United’s premature exit allows their main rivals a great opportunity to win the League Cup with Liverpool and Manchester City amongst the few Premier League giants remaining.
Both Arsenal and Chelsea crashed out on Tuesday night after losing to Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke City respectively, and so with the Red Devils following them out of the competition, it remains to be seen who takes advantage of the weakened field.
Meanwhile, Van Gaal will be looking for a response from his players when they return to Premier League duty on Saturday and travel to Selhurst Park to face Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace.
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