Topics: Capital One Cup, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Ashley Young
The Red Devils dominated Middlesbrough throughout the game, but goalkeeper Mejias made a name for himself, saving every chance and becoming crucial during the final shootout.

It seemed that, after a couple of seasons without silverware, and with Chelsea and Arsenal out of the way, Manchester United could be considered as a top contender to win one trophy. But Middlesbrough, the same side that eliminated Manchester City from the FA Cup, went to the other half of Manchester and defeated the Red Devils in an exciting penalty shootout.

Van Gaal decided to rest some of his key performers, including David De Gea, Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial. As the game came to a close, Rooney and Martial came in, but there was no change in the game's scoreboard, so after 120 minutes, the Red Devils faced a possible elimination from the spot, and they were no match for the Championship side.

Wayne Rooney missed the first shot for United, but luck seemed to give them another chance as Nugent saw his penalty fly over the bar. Pereira made it 1-1 and everything started from scratch. Then, consecutive misses by Michael Carrick and Ashley Young, combined with Stewart Downing's finish and Ben Gibson's PK, sealed the fate of Van Gaal's crew, who once again saw his team go out of the tournament in the early stages of the competition.

Of course, fans had a field day trolling Manchester United, who will watch from the sidelines as other teams fight for the Cup. Here are some of their best comments.

"Eliminated during the Capital One Cup Round of 16 matches: X Arsenal X Chelsea X Manchester United."