Ruben Amorim and Manchester United lurched headlong into yet another catastrophe Wednesday as they were embarrassingly eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town, an opponent sitting 56 league places and three divisions below them.
It was the first time that United had ever lost in the competition to a team in English football’s fourth tier, but for much of the match at Blundell Park, you wouldn’t have known which side was the Premier League outfit and which was from League Two.
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After a truly dismal first-half display, United found themselves 2-0 down at halftime as Amorim’s disjointed side plodded along aimlessly in the pouring rain on England’s east coast. United eventually fought their way back to grab a late equalizer and force a penalty shootout, which Grimsby ultimately won 12-11 when Bryan Mbeumo failed to convert his second spot kick. But for the visitors and their struggling coach, the damage had already long since been done.
With Grimsby fans merrily making fun of their Premier League opponents in the terraces, the atmosphere was perfectly encapsulated on the hour mark when the TV cameras cut to the United bench to show Amorim running through tactical changes using a little magnetic board on his lap.
Amorim can maybe survive the result but I don’t know if he can survive this image. pic.twitter.com/bGBI5AgXf9
— Adam Clery (@AdamClery) August 27, 2025
In fairness, Amorim’s reshuffle did have a positive effect. The Portuguese coach’s changes led to goals from Mbeumo and Harry Maguire to bring the scoreline back to 2-2, after which United looked the side more likely to find a winner before the final whistle.
But the image of the rain-soaked United boss studiously fiddling with counters while his team struggled to string passes together seemed to represent his and United’s current malaise — having lost 17 of his 45 games to date. Unsurprisingly, it sparked a wave of mirth on social media as fans began cracking out the jokes, jibes and memes.
Indeed, the vision of Amorim with his booklet on his knees was quickly pounced upon as fans began to replace the tactics board with an array of amusing substitutes — from Pokémon cards to board games to DJ decks.
— Jonny Sharples (@JonnyGabriel) August 27, 2025
— philip jepson (@philipjepson1) August 27, 2025
— JΛᄃKΛPΣᄂᄂΛ (@jackapella) August 27, 2025
2-0 down and Ruben Amorim’s doing his sticker album pic.twitter.com/YmHzKvz1UA
— Lea (@Lea_EFC) August 27, 2025
Some even joked that Amorim’s master plan was actually a tribute to the great tactician Homer J. Simpson, who famously used miniature magnetic players to plot out strategies during his days as a youth football coach.
Ruben Amorim taking pointers from a truly legendary sports coach @iresimpsonsfans @EflSimpsons pic.twitter.com/oc23SYEvdC
— Mark G (@TheHumanOnion) August 27, 2025
It’s safe to say that everybody had their fun while United went tumbling out of a domestic cup competition with just two weeks of the season gone.
You did sense that Grimsby’s 7-3 and 6-2 wins over Man Utd in 1933 and 1936 would play on the minds of Ruben Amorim’s men, and so it’s proving
— Adam Hurrey (@FootballCliches) August 27, 2025
However, it’s worth noting that United did actually go into the Grimsby tie as underdogs — at least in a historical sense.
As it turns out, the Mariners are something of a bogey team for the Red Devils, who have now failed to beat them in any competition during a four-game streak that stretches back to the 1930s.
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