The alarming stat that cost Manchester United during Middlesbrough FA Cup defeat

Manchester United picked up an unwanted record during their FA Cup exit to Middlesbrough on Friday night.

With the sides unable to be separated after 120 minutes, the fourth round tie went to penalties beneath the lights at Old Trafford and it was academy graduate Anthony Elanga who missed the decisive kick.

It was a heartbreaking moment for the Swedish teenager, but one he will no doubt grow stronger from.

United were wasteful as a collective before that, too, as Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in normal time and the home team also passed up a number of goalscoring opportunities as Middlesbrough progressed.

And that is where undesired history was written.

Jadon Sancho and Matt Crooks were on target either side of the half-time interval, though there was a major claim for handball that went unpunished for that Middlesbrough equaliser which, ultimately, gave them the footing to go on and succeed from 12 yards.

As for United, it wasn't just Ronaldo who was guilty of passing up a chance to help United book a place in the fifth round of the world-famous competition.

Portugal teammate Bruno Fernandes also headed over from eight yards.

Who will in the FA Cup this season? Have your say in the comments section below.

At the time, the United playmaker looked as though he thought he was offside, but replays showed he had broken the line and that goal - had it gone in - would have stood.

According to stats compiled by Opta, the Old Trafford giants missed seven clear-cut opportunities in 90 minutes.

Since the sports analytics company started compiling data for such matches in 2009, that is the most ever recorded in a single game - giving United an unwanted record to go with their countless successes in that regard.

Sign up to our