First team debut for Michael Chopra at the age of 18 years, 11 months.

First start in the senior side for Carl Cort since the victory at Derby County in April 2002, and first appearance since the home win over West Ham a week after that.

Cort's 24th start in all competitions since joining United in July 2000 (26th appearance including 2 sub run outs) but the first time he's completed 90 minutes since the final game of the 2000/01 season, at home to Villa.

The NUFC Roll of dishonour for penalty shootouts since 1970 now reads:

Pecsi Dozsa (a), mackems (h), Bournemouth (h), Tranmere (a), Chelsea (h), Blackburn (h) and in non-competitive games versus Chelsea at Goodison Park and Benfica at the Boro.

We've tasted shootout success in non-events such as Hearts (h) in the Texaco Cup, Liverpool at Wembley in the bizarre Mercantile Tournament, Man U at Ibrox and and Boro at Boro in the JD Sports Tournament. 

We even missed out in a youth game around a decade ago when a certain Steve Watson was the unfortunate toon taker in a Northern Intermediate cup tie.....

Defeat meant this is the first season since 1977-78 that we haven't played away from home in this competition.

Once again the League Cup provided little cheer for United, as an engrossing but ultimately fruitless tie spoiled our five home game winning streak.

Although it's vastly frustrating to see so-called bigger clubs tumble out of this competition leaving the likes of Aston Villa among the favourites, most toonies would have plumped for this one to be the game we lost if we weren't to be victorious in all five.

That said, the league cup still retains a European place and a ribbon-bedecked pot for the eventual winner, along with the subsequent open top bus ride and stupendously uncharted levels of drunken cavorting. 

And given that the vast majority of Newcastle fans have no concept of what winning a proper trophy is all about, and many of have given up hope of ever finding out, it's still more than an annoyance to have thrown this game away after holding the lead on three separate occasions.

Anyway, we're out as usual and left to rake over the ashes of what was ultimately a spectacular night of entertainment with more sub-plots and intrigue than the average episode of the Sopranos (nobody got whacked though, expect for Robert).

With a large number of players getting a rare start in the first XI, it's worth having a wander through the line up and lavishing praise or scorn as appropriate:

Harper - one great reflex save during the game and a satisfying shootout stop, but was fortunate to again escape punishment for some inaccurate kicks out. 
Griffin - business as usual.
Elliott - as rusty as the Gateshead Angel and about as mobile. Defensive contribution best forgotten but did come up with the cross of the night, sending over a curling left foot effort at pace that zeroed in on Cort.
Dabizas - exposed badly by the pace and directness of Rooney as well as the ineptness of Elliott, which dragged him wide on occasion. Also best forgotten.
Caldwell - a second consecutive above-average display from a lad who has something to prove to the current administration and also a vested interest in looking beyond his Newcastle career to a new employer. The late dismissal was just one of those things that happen from time to time - unfortunate but nothing to harp on about.
Dyer - ineffective for an hour until he got himself involved in the middle of the field. Got better the longer the game went 
Acuna - a performance which boosted the reputation of....Gary Speed. Hard to think of anything useful that the Chilean did without going back to the video of the game.
Viana - promises great things and seemed happier and more involved in a central position. A few shots on target including one blockbuster, plus a memorable pass for Dyer to get his first. Talent. 
Bernard - never looked like filling in for Robert on the left side, struggled to get past any Everton players.
LuaLua - bit a relapse back to his previous wayward "take them all on" approach, partly due to a desire to impress and also the lack of supporting players round him. Did little to enhance his reputation or suggest he'll unseat Shola as the Bellamy deputy.
Cort - lasted two hours on the field, which has to something of a triumph in itself. Struggling to say much else positive, but it would be interesting to know if he'd have taken a penalty given his awful attempts earlier this season for the reserves.

Subs:

Chopra - important not to over-analyse this performance, but he came on, looked nervous, got a few touches, instinctively took up the right positions and was unlucky not to grab a goal before the shootout. Gutted for him with the missed pen but I doubt it'll freak him out one iota - and credit to him for taking one in the first place. 
Solano - changed the game when he came on and contributed to our resurgence as we stepped up a couple of gears and played with more cohesion. Fantastic penalty.
Robert - changed the game when he came on and contributed to our resurgence as we stepped up a couple of gears and played with more cohesion. Not a fantastic penalty.

There seems little point about going back over the penalty defeat and moaning about those that missed - none of whom were born the first time we started f**king up these things back on a bumpy pitch in Hungary. Maybe one day we'll succeed, but there seems more chance of a new way of settling games being devised by the authorities than us triumphing by this method.

PS: Never let anyone tell you this competition doesn't matter to players or fans. 

When Chopra was running up to take that penalty it might as well have been the World Cup final such was the will of the crowd to see him bang it home. And Waddle or Batty couldn't have looked any more numb when they failed than Chops did. Or me.

PPS: I told you that Pistone chap would come good for us, but even I didn't think it would take this long.

Biffa