Manchester United have been eliminated from the Lancashire Senior Cup after a drab goalless draw with Rochdale.
James Weir missed United’s first penalty and although Love, Varela and Harrop all converted, Rochdale’s perfect record meant that they qualified for the final.
United had won the tournament in 2012 and 2013 but found themselves too anxious in attack, pensive when shooting opportunities arrived and vulnerable on the counter.
However there are some crumbs of comfort to take – at a time when the first team is being flooded with foreign players, eight of the 11 who started today were English.
Team 1 Pereira, 2 Varela, 3 James, 4 Love, 5 Borthwick-Jackson, 6 Fosu-Mensah, 7 Mitchell (12 Redmond), 8 Harrop, 9 Fletcher, 10 Willock, 11 Weir