Grimsby Town head coach David Artell has insisted that nobody can diminish his players' performance after their stunning Carabao Cup win over Manchester United, despite the club being fined for fielding an ineligible player.
The EFL handed the League Two side a £20,000 fine for a clerical error in the second-round match. United are not believed to be planning an appeal, and Grimsby self-reported the infraction. Artell stressed that the result stands and the performance was historic.
“No one can take away that performance. Nobody can,” Artell told BBC Radio Humberside. “We were the better team for 70 or 75 minutes. We should have been 3-0 regardless of everything else. I am extremely proud of the players.”
Grimsby followed up the victory with a 1-0 loss to Bristol Rovers and face MK Dons on Saturday. Artell added: “What happened was unfortunate, we owned up, made a statement, and we move on.”
