Manchester United's EFL Cup defeat compounded by cancelled flight and 5am return home

The squad were forced to drive through the night

United waited until 1.30am before their flight was cancelled (Getty)

Manchester United’s nightmare EFL Cup nightmare continued long after their shock defeat to Bristol City on Wednesday night.

Following the last-minute 2-1 defeat at Ashton Gate, United’s flight back to Manchester from Bristol was cancelled due to fog, meaning the team had to travel back overnight on the team bus and arrived back in Manchester at 5am on Thursday morning.

The cancellation followed Jose Mourinho’s side being diverted to Cardiff on Wednesday morning before the game because of the heavy fog, meaning United were subjected to a heavy day of travel both before and after the game.

The squad left the stadium at 10.45pm but were made to wait at the airport until 1.30am before eventually taking the decision to take the 174 mile coach journey home, taking around three and a half hours. The flight would have taken just 50 minutes.

It was not ideal preparation for United for this weekend when Mourinho takes his side on the road again to face Leicester City on Saturday evening.