In the big picture, Sunderland's Carabao Cup exit barely registers. This season is all about the Black Cats' return to the Championship, re-establishing themselves at that level after four years away, and trying to work out what exactly constitutes a good finish in their first season back in the second tier.
But there was still an air of disappointment surrounding the cup defeat at Sheffield Wednesday. Perhaps it was falling at the first hurdle after the excitement of reaching the quarter-finals last season while competing in League One.
Maybe it was the loss of their 18-game unbeaten run in all competitions stretching back to mid-February. Or the fact that Sunderland were beaten by a League One side that they had defeated over two legs just three months ago to reach the play-off final at Wembley en route to promotion.
