Given the choice last weekend, I'd have taken the three points ahead progressing in this competition on the grounds that we were unlikely to get past the semi-final stage given we don't play our full-strength side (and look who West Ham have drawn in round 4). It's a fairly meaningless competition unless you actually win it (the level of excitement at going through doesn't sit on the same level as FA Cup or Europa, for instance).
That said there were some worrying things: it shows our squad still isn't really deep enough - this wan't West Ham's
first team either. Lots of people are blaming Donny for losing his man, but Telles was skinned every time in the first 20 mins and was appalling for the goal. I thought Donny had a pretty good game and deserves more playing time. I think he might be one o f those who gets better, the more he plays.
But yet again you have to question Ole: if you are chasing the game and in need of a goal, why the hell do you keep Martial on the field for 90 mins? If he was still there now, with everyone else gone home, I'm not sure he'd score. He didn't even look interested. Name any other manager who would have kept him on the park - Jose certainly would have hauled him off and so would SAF.
Elsewhere, there were some decent performances: Henderson didn't put a foot wrong and made two big saves at the end, Lindelof was faultless and Lingard had a pretty good game. Greenwood looked sharp when he came on but he should have been playing through the middle instead of martial at that stage.
Sancho showed flashes but, of course, we need a lot more from him. I think this is on of the slowest starts to an OT career in recent memory.
Of course, the whole thing might have been different had Jon Moss actually known the rules - trying to remove an opponent's shorts in the penalty is not usually allowed!