Newcastle United players trooped through the Wembley interview zone in a dejected manner after their 2-0 loss to Manchester United.
Some stopped, some didn't want to speak after a deflating defeat on the big stage. But as they headed for the bus that had made the short journey from the Wembley Hilton hotel just a few hours earlier, there was a more jovial character heading in the other direction towards the dressing rooms.
He may be 81 years old and battled health problems in recent years but Sir Alex Ferguson had a spring in his step and a beaming smile on his face as he glided past the TV cameras and media men on duty at Wembley. With a smug grin broadly across his face he knew what he was doing given there are alternative routes to the dressing room.
In a week in which Fergie has been spotted having a meal with Eric ten Hag, his influence has not gone by unnoticed on Manchester United, it may have even got them over the line as they won their first trophy in six years. Whatever you think about it, it is an asset for the Old Trafford club to have such a standard bearer on board and he may as well have been draped in a Man United flag as he stormed through.
One of the masters of dark arts himself may or may not have had a bearing on Ten Hag's pre-match speel about Newcastle being an "annoying team" to play against. And with some national writers even making a minute-by-minute note of United's gamesmanship, it felt like Man United knew what was coming.
The fact that the Red Devils took off Diogo Dalot and Fred after they were booked showed Man United were on to the tactics that not only guided Newcastle to Wembley in the first place but also propelled them into the top four earlier in the campaign. Ferguson painfully chomped down a 12-point lead in the title race of 1996 and used mind games to get there after accusing Premier League rivals of being soft when they played Newcastle prompting Kevin Keegan's "Love it rant."
This was a more distant influence but he has made sure he has been in the background this week
On a day in which Eddie Howe also changed formation at the break, it's clear that teams are now well accustomed to the swashbuckling 4-3-3 shape that has yielded so many points and so much success this season. Whether Howe will tweak things or go for something more complex in the next few weeks remains to be seen.
Instilling the "win at all costs" mentality that Ferguson has to be the next big step for Howe and his backroom team. Rightly or wrongly Ferguson's looming presence at Old Trafford still sees the fundamentals for success emerge on the big occasions.
Fergie's act of gloating in the mixed zone should be bottled up and used as fuel alone to get one over Man United sooner rather than later.
The chance to start something special but still a missed opportunity for Newcastle
That Man United needed a helping hand from Fergie this week shows that this was a massive chance to break their trophy duck. Afterwards, there was plenty of positive talk of this just being the start of something for Newcastle.
The fans all stayed behind and chanted "We'll support you ever more" and that was always likely to happen given their unconditional love for the club. But even Eddie Howe warned after the game there are "no guarantees" and he's right, next season United could get Man City or Arsenal away in the early stages and the picture suddenly looks different in the domestic cups.
It's worth reminding ourselves that the expectation within the fanbase this season was to simply finish clear of the drop zone - already achieved - and have a run in one of the cups, also ticked off. However, the ambitious owners want more than that and want silverware in the cabinet.
Howe himself bravely said at the turn of the year Newcastle could still win everything this season but both cup runs are over and only a European place seems up for grabs now.
This was a golden opportunity at Wembley against a Europa League-weary Man United team and it wasn't fully taken. Qualifying for the Champions League would more than appease the powers that be back in Riyadh but Newcastle still have work to do on that front.
Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak set for run in team together?
Isak came on at half-time and showed good movement but in terms of end product the £63million man did not produce a shot or put in a cross for a team-mate. Wilson managed no shots on target on the day and two goal attempts but also, like Isak, didn't get great service at Wembley.
If playing the duo together is the future, they will need a run in the team and time to gel - something they haven't had this season due to Isak's earlier injury woes. Isak has now gone six matches without a goal since scoring against Fulham.
He had 24 touches in the second half at Wembley and looked confident on the ball but with the club's greatest goalscorer Alan Shearer and their greatest ever assist maker (with 42) Nobby Solano also in the stands at Wembley, they will know forwards are judged on only one thing.
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