Manchester United have crashed out of the Capital One Cup after losing to Sunderland on penalties in a dramatic night at Old Trafford yesterday evening.
David Moyes’ side went into the game trailing by two goals to one from the first leg, but restored parity after Jonny Evans scored on thirty-seven minutes.
With the score at ninety minutes 1-0 to the hosts, the tie headed into extra time with neither side able to nod themselves in front until former United defender Phil Bardsley struck from the edge of the area with a minute left on the clock to the send the away fans into raptures.
David De Gea looked to have the relatively tame shot under control, but fumbled it into his own net to give Gus Poyet’s men the advantage.
However, with the Black Cats looking certain to be heading to Wembley, Javier Hernandez turned in Adnan Januzaj’s cross to send the match to penalties.
Of the ten penalties, only three were converted, though unfortunately for United, two of those were in favour of Sunderland, who sealed their first appearance in a major final in almost twenty-nine years.
Meanwhile, in much needed better news for the club, Juan Mata appears to be closing in on his move from Chelsea after the Blues accepted an offer of £37m, the Telegraph understands.
Should the deal go through, the 25 year old will become the most expensive player in Manchester United’s history, eclipsing the £30.75 the club paid for Dimitar Berbatov in 2008.
Mata was named Chelsea’s Player of the Year in both of his full seasons with the club after scoring thirty-three goals and making fifty-eight assists in one hundred and thirty-five games in all competitions, while in terms of honours, he helped the club to success in the FA Cup, Champions League and Europa League.
His last appearance for the Blues came in the 3-0 win over Southampton on New Year’s Day, where he was substituted in the 53rd minute.