( CNN ) -- It was a penalty shootout that summed up Manchester United 's season -- errant , careless and ultimately forlorn . This was the team that have dominated English football for years , one of the biggest on the planet . Yet here they were , slugging it out from the penalty spot with lowly Sunderland in the semifinal of the English League Cup , with a place at Wembley at stake . Usually so composed in pressure situations , United 's players blinked , four of them missing from 12 yards out as this interminable season took another turn for the worse . Since Sunderland last won silverware in 1973 , Manchester United have won 25 domestic trophies , but before the end of January the only competition they are still in with a realistic chance of winning is the European Champions League . Yet the man who presided over the majority of those 25 trophies -- Alex Ferguson -- has gone and the man who had replaced him is looking more beleaguered by the day . David Moyes trudged off the field as Sunderland players swarmed around their goalkeeper Vito Mannone , who saved the penalty that sent them to the final of England 's second most prestigious cup competition . They will now face Manchester CIty in the final on March 2 while United , and Moyes especially , will face more intense questioning about the direction his club is going in . `` Criticism is fair if you do n't win at this football club , '' Moyes told Sky Sports after the game . `` Credit to Sunderland -- they played well and we did n't . We 've played well in a lot of games this season and not got the rewards but we did n't deserve any rewards tonight . `` When we had the chances to get a second goal we did n't finish it off . I 've got no problem them getting through -- they deserved it . '' In the end , United were fortunate to force the game into penalties after goalkeeper David De Gea fumbled a shot from Phil Bardsley into the net -- a gaffe that appeared to have handed Sunderland victory in the final seconds of the game . Luckily for the Spanish keeper , just 60 seconds later a dramatic goal from Javier Hernandez with practically the last kick of the match gave United one last shot at redemption . One which they could n't take . Of De Gea 's mistake Moyes said : `` David 's been really good this season . People do make mistakes but it was a costly one . That 's football and that 's the way it is just now . '' Of the four missed penalties from his side Moyes simply added : `` That was poor . I would expect better . '' Trailing 2-1 from the first leg , United took the lead on 37 minutes through Jonny Evans to level the scores on aggregate . But with no more goals at the end of 90 minutes the match went into extra time . Knowing they needed to score to go through Sunderland piled men forward in search of a winner but no-one at Old Trafford could have been prepared for the tumult that was to come . Phil Bardsley , who spent five years as a Manchester United player , fired in a low shot from outside the box that De Gea found too hot to handle . As Sunderland 's players celebrated in front of their 9,000 traveling fans , Moyes rolled his eyes as the prospect of a Wembley final ebbed away . But just over 60 seconds later it was United 's fans celebrating as Hernandez turned in a cross to lock the scores up on aggregate and send the tie to penalties . With the tension around the stadium palpable , the first three players to take spot kicks missed , before Darren Fletcher put Manchester United 1-0 up . But that was the only success United would register from 12 yards as successful penalties from Marcos Alonso and Ki Sung-Yueng put Sunderland 2-1 in front , either side of an Adnan Januzaj miss . Phil Jones was the next player to go wide , ballooning his effort over the bar , before Sunderland 's Adam Johnson squandered the opportunity to settle the tie . All of which meant Rafael had to score to keep United in the match , but his spot kick was saved by Mannone , sparking wild scenes of celebration from the visitors . Sunderland manager Gus Poyet , who is battling to keep his side in the Premier League , told Sky Sports : `` This feeling is for the fans . It has been a difficult season but look at them now , this is for them . `` To have a day of football like today is great for everybody and great for football . It is a great story -- let 's see if we can go one better . `` The things that happened today were incredible but the players were outstanding , they are trying hard to learn so credit to them . ''
Manchester United knocked out of English League Cup by lowly Sunderland . Sunderland win on penalties after a dramatic finale to the semifinal tie at Old Trafford . Four Manchester United players miss in the shootout as Sunderland win 2-1 . Result heaps pressure on beleaguered Manchester United manager David Moyes .