Newcastle 0-2 Man Utd: The start of a new era despite cruel defeat - We’ll be back
Our first trip to Wembley in 24 years ended in disappointment, but we leave the capital with our heads held high and full of hope we’ll be back again soon.
Cup finals are decided by big moments and, sadly for us, Man Utd took their chances when we didn't. Our two first half lapses were punished and we struggled to break down a stubborn Red Devils defence after that.
We huffed, puffed, had more possession, more shots and gave it our all in front of 33,000 Geordies who’ve been in brilliant form all weekend. However, we ultimately failed to test David De Gea, lacking that sprinkle of quality or creativity to unlock the door in key moments. In truth, the damage was done in that first half, where Casemiro headed home from a cheap set piece and Marcus Rashford’s deflected effort looped in past Loris Karius.
There were moments for us to get back into it. Allan Saint-Maximin almost scored from the angle after skipping past Diogo Dalot, Dan Burn glanced a big chance wide, Joelinton had a second half shot blocked by the dogged Martinez and sun Jacob Murphy saw a long range effort flash wide. ASM was lively in flashes, yet ultimately frustrated as his mazy runs often came to nothing. The same could be said about our set pieces, with Kieran Trippier regularly failing to find a black and white head.
I thought Alexander Isak was very bright - it won’t be long until he explodes in a Newcastle shirt - while Bruno Guimaraes did all he could on his return, only to be forced off late on after struggling to shake off a heavy knock to his ankle. In the end, Howe turned to the likes of Murphy, Anderson and Ritchie late on, while ten Hag had the luxury of bringing on over £150m of talent in Sahcho, Sabitzer, Wan Bissaka and Maguire.
Speaking after the game, Eddie Howe sent this message to fans: “We’ve felt nothing but support and love from the fans all weekend long. The scenes coming in on the bus were exceptional - my words don’t even do it justice. We are truly sorry we couldn’t win a trophy for them, but it’s a big thank you from me.”
It wasn’t the fairytale end we all hoped for after no domestic trophy since 1955, but it won’t be long until it’s our name on the cup. New owners have been in less than 18 months, yet we’ve already come within 90 minutes of ending that drought and can now turn attentions back to our European push after licking our Wembley wounds.
It wasn’t to be this time, as experience and quality told in a generally tight affair, but we’ll be back. This is just the start of this exciting new era for Howe, Bruno, Botman, Isak and a city full of supporters believing again.
