Yorkie

The lingering feeling for me is sheer bitterness in that, for us, we had to win it twice and that didn't apply to Brighton. Others will take a different view because of their hard-ons for lines that only exist in the digital world, but it's not far off Tino/PSG levels of bullshit for me. Just fuck off, man. Self-destruct my arse, we won it.

Great to see. Agony we're not still in the mix.

Were it not for Gordon - who I really pictured having a big game in the final - I hadn't felt any different. It's one game on neutral ground, and we'll have learned from the last trip to Wembley. I still believe we can do it and am really looking forward to it. It's wonderful that we've given ourselves this opportunity again. Gordon thing isn't quite Pope all over again, because we have options, but it's a pisser and above all I'm gutted for the lad himself. Felt like a bit of a destiny thing and he made a huge contribution in the semi, too. Fucking Brighton.

Obviously shocking positioning but can't dig him out too much when it's that late in the game. Concentration bound to waver by that point, and he'd switched positions too. Made a good claim for the LB spot. As did Tripps for RB; thought he was probably our best player tbh. Will be a huge bonus if he can keep that up.

I hope he's removed from the team before he harms what ought to be a fantastic legacy. That said, no VAR and, yet again, he's done the thing he's most adored for at this club: scored a brilliant goal. A desperate shame that it got taken away from him and I'll never, ever believe it's right for the game. It's not bias either, I've made the point about dozens and dozens of perfectly good goals ruled-out by this manifestation of the need to make real football like FIFA/PES.

Exactly the same for me. West Ham looked bleak but what I thought looked like the players potentially giving up on Howe was simply a bad performance. Absolutely ludicrous if he's had to work with a mostly identical squad for two years and not given the opportunity to rejuvenate it once we're less restricted. The evidence is there that he can key taking us forward

Probably on brand of me but I actually do have a great deal of sympathy for him, despite thinking it was a red. What he's done is momentarily lose his composure in an incredibly high pressure situation and now he's victim of the incredibly overzealous three-game role and misses the biggest game of his club career. That the ref denied him a clear foul for the same infringement moments earlier (contributing to his actions) and then was visibly excited to get the red card in front of his face, sticks in the craw. It's a terrible, terrible error and he is accountable to it, but fans laying into him as if he isn't a massive reason for why we're in the final at all is a bit depressing. Understandable to some extent, but still just sad.

Thought Joe looked really sharp in the first half and linked up with Gordon very well. Sandro's decision making on the ball was way off and not for the first time recently. Off it he was his usual all action self and made some crucial contributions. Frustrating game from him I thought.

From memory barely a third of his body was offside. In 99.99999999999% of all football matches in the history of time, we've won. Apparently the sport was wrong until a few seasons back though.

Hang on, what? I have a Tonali agenda?

Dubravka - 6 Trippier - 7 Schär - 4 Burn - 6 Tino LB - 7 Tino RB - 5 Miley - 6 Tonali off the ball - 8 Tonali on the ball - 4 Joelinton - 7 Barnes - 6 Isak - 7 Gordon pre s/o - 6

I darent ask if you have a ticket

I understand the logic but fuck it's a miserable way to be. The team isn't incapable of winning the game. It's not a foregone conclusion by any means.

Urgh fuck I'm absolutely gutted with that, like. Absolutely infuriating performance. I didn't think we were disgracefully bad by any means; we weren't good - far too clumsy and rash - but we had a lot of moments, and put ourselves into plenty of good positions, only to fluff our lines, making it all the more annoying. The disallowed winner is truly some VAR age misery and if it counts, I think we're praising us for coming through another grueling cup tie against a team that's got our number. Sadly the fun police put paid to that and one too many slack plays in ET results in the suckerpunch. We've got to improve on the ball if we're going to sustain a CL push, though.

The cryarsing about how we've supposedly already lost this is absolutely miserable like.

Oh well, absolutely gutted. Can't muster muster much more than that. Three fixtures in a row they've come up here, rattled us, got under our skins and nabbed a result. Crazy game. Without the pedantry of VAR we've won that in injury time. Hate it so much.

Always been a brilliant finisher.

There we go

Stuuuupid foul, Schär

Chaos is the word, like. I know we're watching it through a NUFC lens but both sides have been similar (see our goal for starters). Calamities all over the place.

How isn't that a booking

Okay, understand less the *horseshit takes about one of our best players.

Usual kneejerking bedwettery from you. Gordon was frustrated because he was being held over and over again. Brighton got under his skin and there's fuck all else to it. Edit: sorry for the snark, @ChrisMcQuillan - the polite version is: I disagree. This team of players and coaches battle for each other without fail.

I get why but it's a shame we're immediately in here calling him every name under the sun. Rush of blood, wound up because he didn't get the foul for an identical offence a few moments earlier. Ref couldn't wait to flash the card in his face. I much less understand the revision of his performances. After a slow start he's been good this season and I thought he was one of our most positive players today. Heartbreaking moment but thankfully we wasted £40m on an understudy.

aye it's at least the length of a ruler