Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has expressed his embarrassment and issued an apology to the club's supporters following their Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday.
The Owls triumphed 3-0 in a penalty shoot-out at a near-empty Hillsborough, after Leeds' Jayden Bogle had levelled the scoreline, nullifying goalkeeper Karl Darlow's own goal from the second half.
Adding to Leeds' woes was an injury to Ao Tanaka, with Farke disclosing that the Japanese midfielder will be sidelined until after the international break due to damaged MCL ligaments sustained in their recent defeat against Arsenal.
Following the second-round knockout, Farke admitted: "We have to take all of the criticism and we are self-critical because out of all the chances we should put four or five goals to bed."
He added: "It's always a bit annoying and you feel a bit embarrassed as a Premier League side, but we have been involved in so many games on this level, especially in the cup – this is why there are so many surprises and shock results.
"Even the team in the lower league can win such a game. Today was one of those days and congratulations to Sheffield Wednesday."
When asked what he would say to the Leeds fans, Farke responded: "You can feel for them. We're sorry anyhow. We feel a bit embarrassed that we don't go through in such a game. We can just say 'sorry' because they made the trip and wanted to celebrate."
Wednesday skipper Barry Bannan stepped up to convert the opening penalty in the shootout, with Ike Ugbo and Liam Palmer also finding the net, whilst Leeds duo Joel Piroe and Sean Longstaff saw their efforts saved either side of Dominic Calvert-Lewin's miss.
Speaking about Tanaka's absence, Farke commented: "It's quite similar to Ethan Ampadu's injury. Of course it's tough to take. Two of our key players in central midfield positions are out within a few days, but that's football. We have to get on with it and find some solutions."
Numerous Wednesday supporters heeded the Supporters Trust's appeal to boycott the fixture in demonstration against owner Dejphon Chansiri, resulting in only a partially-filled South Stand being utilised at Hillsborough besides the visiting section.
Boss Henrik Pedersen rang the changes with 10 alterations following his team's 2-2 stalemate at Wrexham on Saturday, whilst seven of his starting eleven are yet to make their league bow for the club.
Pedersen commented: "We knew we would not have the ball so much, but how big passion, how big discipline, how much belief they played this defensive game today.
"It was amazing and of course you need a little bit of luck in a game like today's, but our goalkeeper (Ethan Horvath) was amazing today. I'm really, really proud with how much discipline, with how much passion they played.
"It was also again amazing to see the reaction from the senior players who were not in the squad, how they were before the game, during the game, after the game and how happy they were for the young boys."
Here at LeedsLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Leeds United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest Leeds news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.