For Manchester United and Newcastle the prize was the same, but to watch the scenes at St James' Park and Old Trafford just 24 hours apart, the value of the reward felt very different.
The final whistle on Tyneside on Tuesday was greeted with delirium. The PA was turned up to 11, the players embarked on a prolonged lap of honour and the celebrations looked like they would go on into the early hours.
When Peter Bankes brought the one-sided Carabao Cup semi-final at Old Trafford to a close, there were a few handshakes, a lap of thanks from Jadon Sancho and that was basically it. Back to the dressing room and back to business.
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There are reasons for the different reactions to reaching the Carabao Cup final at Wembley at the end of this month, which need to be factored in. Newcastle haven't contested a domestic cup final since 1999 and there is a significant feel-good factor between the club and supporters this season, a reconnection fostered by the outstanding work done by Eddie Howe.
But to the untrained eye, the final looked like the reward for Newcastle but just another destination on the journey for United. That doesn't mean they will win it and it's not an attempt to belittle the joy that swept around St James' on Tuesday - that is, after all, why we go to the football - but it might just tell us plenty about the changes that have been occurring under Erik ten Hag this season.
The manager encapsulated that approach when he walked into his post-match press conference 45 minutes after the final whistle. The first question put to Ten Hag was about the significance of reaching the final in his first season, but there was no beaming smile, no proclamations of pride, just a message that the job isn't done.
"It’s good to reach the final, but it’s not about reaching the final, it’s about winning it," he said. It's the kind of line you expect from a Manchester United manager.
Ten Hag was on a similar theme when the conversation returned to that Wembley trip on February 26 later on in his press conference. It comes just three days after the second leg of the Europa League play-off round against Barcelona at Old Trafford, when Newcastle will have a free midweek to prepare fully for the final.
The 53-year-old stressed that this was a situation he was used to, having encountered it with Ajax, but also used the question to reinforce the demands on his players.
"Newcastle has an advantage, but it’s about attitude and mentality, when the players are fit we can do it," he said.
Attitude and mentality have been two of Ten Hag's watchwords this season and he is clearly driving these messages home week after week. The reaction to reaching the final was the latest example of that.
This is, of course, not the ultimate prize for United. Arguably it's not for Newcastle, either, although a first trophy since 1969 is a significant fillip for Howe's side. United need a return to the Champions League and Newcastle have an unexpected opportunity to gatecrash the top four as well.
But winning trophies is always a buzz. United are six years without their own piece of silverware and Ten Hag has taken them to a cup final at his very first opportunity. From the scenes at full-time last night, you wouldn't have known it.
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