Make no mistake about it, Newcastle United's first Wembley appearance for a domestic cup final in 24 years was way ahead of schedule for the new era. But that does not make the pain of Sunday's Carabao Cup final any easier to digest right now for any of the players or fans.
The Magpies gave their best, but on the day it was simply not enough to overcome the Premier League's most in-form side. It was a final settled by margins, with a costly seven-minute spell along with the experience and know-how of seasoned veterans proving decisive for Manchester United..
Newcastle were ruthlessly punished, firstly from a set-piece once more before Marcus Rashford found the net with an effort that was cruelly deflected beyond the reach of Loris Karius. From this moment onward, Erik ten Hag made steady changes to kill the game as a contest and to leave the Toon Army to rue more questions of what might have been.
