Ralf Rangnick ‘incredibly disappointed’ following Manchester United’s FA Cup exit to Middlesbrough

Ralf Rangnick has admitted that he is “incredibly disappointed” after watching his side lose a penalty shoot-out to Middlesbrough and go out in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Despite getting an early spot kick, missed by Cristiano Ronaldo, and going ahead through Jadon Sancho with 25 minutes on the clock, United squandered numerous chances to finish the game against a side currently seventh in the Championship. Middlesbrough controversially equalised through Matt Crooks midway through the second half, with the ball clearly hitting Duncan Watmore’s hand before he provided the assist.

Ad/> Having failed to find a way through in extra time, despite racking up a ludicrous 30 shots to Boro’s six, the hosts crashed out on penalties when Anthony Elanga blazed his effort over the crossbar. United have now lost seven of their last eight penalty shoot-outs, a run stretching back to 2009. The Emirates FA CupManchester United suffer penalty pain as Middlesbrough cause cup shock5 HOURS AGO Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after the match, Rangnick gave a downbeat assessment of the match.

“Incredibly disappointed, we should have won and killed off the game in the first half,” he said. “Crossbar, post, missed penalty and numerous chances. It should have been 2-0 or 3-0.” Asked how Elanga was feeling after missing the decisive penalty, Rangnick admitted the 19-year-old had taken it hard.

“Anyone can imagine how he is, he is shattered and absolutely disappointed,” he said. Unsurprisingly, Watmore’s handball was one of the main post-match talking points. Asked about the incident directly, the former United academy player said: “If I’m honest, it was completely accidental.