"Worthless Cup" it may be, but with half the first team in the squad, you would have thought there would be a better result. Yes, EVEN CONSIDERING that for some of them, it was their second match in 48 hours.
Any time a Premier League side (and face it, we're barely that at the moment) are defeated by a Second Division team regardless of the competition, it makes the Prem side look bad.
"Well, at least now we can focus on the league!"

Oh what a result on Tyneside would do to the team's spirits....