Serie A expert demands major change after witnessing ‘epic scenes’ in Grimsby Town’s cup win vs Man United

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We still can’t quite believe it, but League Two side Grimsby Town defeated Manchester United in the Carabao Cup last night, and it’s sent shockwaves through the world of football.

With Manchester United on a dismal run of form, there was always the chance of a bit of an upset in the Carabao Cup when the Red Devils travelled to Grimsby Town for the second round tie.

However, no one would have predicted that the League Two outfit would be 2-0 up after 30 minutes. Goals from Charles Vernam and Tyrell Warren gave Grimsby the advantage at half-time.

United managed to fight back to level the scoreline with a late Harry Maguire header to take the clash to penalties. But, after 12 spot-kicks, it was the fourth tier club that triumphed and progressed to the third round.

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Grimsby Town celebrations send shockwaves through Europe

Before the season began, our League Two predictions had Grimsby Town pegged for a top eight finish, which would see them narrowly missing out on the play-offs.

Funnily enough, Grimsby have suffered more relegations than any team in the EFL (joint with Notts County). But, none of that matters this week, as the Mariners pulled off the biggest result in their history.

That penalty shootout win will live long in the memory for Grimsby fans (and any neutrals enjoying a Man United hate-watch). So too will the celebrations, which caught the attention of Serie A reporter Marco Messina.

Taking to Twitter/X after the game, he wrote: “Can we please learn in Italy that the bigger teams should play away from home in cup matches? These are some of the most epic scenes I’ve ever witnessed. Coppa Italia needs to turn into this.”

The sight of Grimsby Town fans flooding the pitch at Blundell Park is certainly one of the best things we’ve seen this season already, and it’s a nice change to see so much passion in a game which is becoming increasingly sterilised.

Will Italy follow suit and force the titans of their game to make these kinds of away trips in cup competitions? Probably not, but it would be a welcome change both at home and abroad.

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English cup competitions need major changes too

Over the last few years, we’ve seen major changes made to the FA Cup and EFL Cup, but not necessarily improvements.

The scrapping of FA Cup replays to alleviate match congestion for teams competing in Europe only serves to benefit the top six or seven teams in England. At the same time, it robs smaller clubs of incredibly valuable and exciting second chances of progression and revenue.

Similarly, the Carabao Cup now ensures teams in continental competition cannot face each other in the third round. While that does open up the possibility for tasty ties and cup upsets, it largely only serves to protect the bigger clubs and help them progress into the latter stages of the competition.

We used to revel in the magic of the cup. That magic has long since faded away, but Grimsby Town reminded us all last night that there is still a spark out there.