I would rate ETH way higher than I do if we had lost the cup final but we had kept playing and being competitive as we were doing before that game, instead of the drop in performances we saw after the cup and that lasts until now.
In that scenario you can bet the percentage of people voting "sack" would be around 10 % in the CAF instead of 54 despite no trophies and two finals lost, and we'd be looking forward to ETH under Ineos, me included. That's the relevance a league cup has in the big picture, close to zero.
The current scenario is leading to ETH's sacking for a reason, in the same way LvG got sacked right after winning the FA Cup. Any fool can win a tin cup with the stars getting aligned as we got last season, but those trophies aren't even celebrated with the bus around the city as it happens with the relevant ones. It's a matter of shame and common sense. The same reason they shouldn't be brought as something remarkable in these debates.
In EtH's case it can't hide how he lasted 6 months being competitive at United and 10 being a mess, being saved by a takeover taking place. A manager with that baggage and everything we're seeing this season from every angle (performances, tactics, results, records, metrics, decisions, in game management, etc) can't be dinning at the same table as Ole and Jose, but having a snack with Moyes in the garden.