Rangnick’s troubles deepen with United’s FA Cup ouster

Manchester United’s interim manager exacerbated the gloomy feeling around Old Trafford as he failed to lead his team past Championship side Middlesbrough on Friday in a fourth-round FA Cup encounter.

United lost 8-7 on penalties after the 90 minutes ended 1-1.

This comes immediately after Mason Greenwood’s arrest for rape, assault, and threat to life and the denial by Jesse Lingard on social media that Rangnick had not told the truth when he said the forward had asked for time off to clear his head.

Rangnick sent out a strong team that included Paul Pogba, who returned after being out for three months with a thigh injury. Cristiano Ronaldo led the line assisted by Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford as the Red Devils sought some good news at the end of a bad week.

The tone of the match was set as early as the After a defensive mixup between the Middlesbrough goalkeeper and defender, Sancho’s lob hit the crossbar and bounced away to safety

Things did not get better as Ronaldo fluffed his lines from the spot in the 20th minute after Pogba was felled in the area. Five minutes after the miss, Sancho scored his first goal at Old Trafford as his shot took a slight deflection to beat

A lot of United fans will be aggrieved that referee Anthony Taylor and his VAR team allowed Middlesbrough’s equaliser to stand in the 64th minute as the ball clearly came off Duncan Watmore’s left hand before he crossed for Matt Crooks to score.

Bruno Fernandes’ spurned chance in the 72nd minute was just one of the gilt-edged chances United should have converted. After nicking the ball from Jonny Howson on the edge of the Middlesbrough box and with an open goal, Fernandes contrived to hit the right post.

Although the new rules allowed the goal as a player cannot be penalised for an accidental handball preceding a goal unless he scores it himself. There was no breakthrough for United after 30 minutes of extra time and in the penalty kicks, youngster Anthony Elanga blasted his kick high and wild to give Middlesbrough passage into the FA Cup fifth round.

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In the post-match interview, Rangnick said he was ‘disappointed’ Middlesbrough’s equaliser was allowed to stand. “In the end, the goal should never have been given. It’s incredible that it stood. It was a clear handball. I would not have needed VAR, it should have been seen by the referee himself but the VAR should not have given the goal.

“As far as I know, the referee and the VAR decided that it was not intentional, it was coincidental. How can it be coincidental if the hand is up there and the ball is touching his hand and he controlled the ball with his hand? I don’t see how this can be coincidental.”

The interim manager has to pick himself and his team up for the resumption of the Premier League on Tuesday when they travel to Turf Moor to face relegation-threatened Burnley.