By CAITLIN MURRAY
Tuesday was supposed to be a good day for Manchester United. With the acquisition of Angel Di Maria, things seemed to be moving into a positive direction for a club trying to regain its footing.
But then the second round of the Capital One Cup happened.
Manchester United suffered an astounding and embarrassing loss, 4-0, to third-division Milton Keynes Dons. For MK Dons, it was a thrilling upset in front of the largest crowd they’ve ever seen. But for United, it was a hapless performance that put their loss and draw to open the Premier League season in a worse light.
League One’s MK Dons took control of the match early, with Man United’s Jonny Evans punished for lackadaisical defending in the 25th minute, handing William Grigg an open shot for a goal.
Instead of turning the match around in the second half, United seemed to fall apart. Grigg added his second goal in the 63rd minute and then Benik Afobe, on loan from Arsenal, bagged his own brace with goals in the 70th and 84th minutes.
United Manager Louis van Gaal did not field his top starting XI, but his lineup did include such capable players as Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, Danny Welbeck, Shinji Kagawa and goalkeeper David De Gea.
Man United, four-time winners of the tournament, did not even land a shot on target until the 72nd minute against MK Dons, a club founded just 10 years ago.
Here are some more results from Tuesday:
CELTIC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES DASHED IN LOSS TO MARIBOR
In another embarrassing knockout, Celtic is out of the UEFA Champion’s League tournament after NK Maribor eked out a 1-0 win on Tuesday. It marks Maribor’s first time to reach the group stage since 1999.
After a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the series, Celtic was knocked out Tuesday on a 2-1 aggregate to NK Maribor.
Marcos Tavares scored the game-winner with just 15 minutes left. The Celtic defense struggled to clear a cross from the left flank and the striker chipped a shot from eight yards over goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Perhaps this time around wasn’t meant to be for Celtic, who won the European Cup in 1967. An administrative error by its previous opponent, after losing home and away to Legia Warsaw, was what allowed Celtic to advance.
QUICK KICKS
- Premier League side West Ham United lost in penalties to third-tier Sheffield United, another upset for League Cup action Tuesday. (REPORT)
- Shrewsbury Town shocked Leicester City, with the Premier League side falling 1-0 in the League Cup. (REPORT)
- Led by a strong Hulk performance, Zenit St. Petersburg advanced to the group stage of UEFA Champion’s League with a win over Standard Liege, 3-0. (REPORT)
- Porto also advanced in the UEFA Champions League, beating Lille 2-0. (REPORT)