Honestly. It is the Geordie nightmare from hell. Cruel maybe but the brutal reality is that it was all self-inflicted.
Think about it: first the meanest defence in the Premier League was as wide open as a barn door to make it easy for Liverpool to establish a two-goal lead in the first quarter of an hour and guarantee sending us to Wembley on the back of a horror home defeat.
Kieran Trippier, big-hearted skipper and one of United's blue-chip players, was culpable on both goals which continued the worrying trend of previously ultra-reliable performers suddenly dropping standards.
