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Even his obvious befuddlement at the way in way it was achieved couldn't hide Gus Poyet's pride at guiding Sunderland to the League Cup final.
Speaking directly after the game to Sky Sports whilst still on the pitch, Poyet said:
I don't remember another game like this.
When you score in the final minute you don't expect to concede again, and when you miss your first two penalties you don't expect to go through.
I was proud of my players, even if the game had finished 1-0 and gone out.
We were decent. We were taking risks, running at Manchester United. We were a team that doesn't look to be in the position we are [second from bottom] in the Premier League.
The feelings are for them [said whilst pointing at the away fans]
A difficult season, nothing to enjoy, look at them, they deserve that. Let's see if we can go one more and win it.
Well, welcome to Sunderland, Gus. This is kind of how it is. The fans are BOTH brilliantly bonkers and bonkersly brilliant.
The team - whichever players happen to be in it at any given time or in any given era - put you through the ringer like no one else. If there is a hard way of doing anything, even a way so needlessly complicated that even Steven Moffat would struggle to conceive of it, that's the way we'll be doing it.
The fact the highs are so inexplicable is almost why we stick around in such stunning numbers through so much hurt and torment. The torment laces the highs with so much joy that by rights they should probably be illegal.
You truly are one of us now. We're not even sorry.
