Newcastle United star makes ‘better team’ admission after Manchester United defeat

Newcastle’s first major cup final in 24 years ended in disappointment following first half goals from Casemiro and a deflected Marcus Rashford effort. Murphy came on as a late substitute and put in a positive cameo display.

The 28-year-old couldn’t help Newcastle get back into the game but he made some important defensive contributions and arguably had the best chance of the closing stages as his shot from distance skimmed past David De Gea’s right post.

"It whistled wide, it would have been lovely to see it in the back of the net but it wasn't our day,” the boyhood Newcastle fan admitted.

While it was impossible to escape the feeling of disappointment at full-time, the belief remains high within the Magpies squad.

“We're a band of brothers, it was a special moment but the overriding feeling is gutted,” Murphy added. “There were fine margins and over the course of the game I thought we were the better team.

"Their two goals were a sucker punch for us but we controlled the game for large parts. When you're 2-0 down, the damage was [done] and it's going to be a tough, tough game to get back into.

“We're resilient, a resilient group and I'm proud of every one of these lads. The dust will settle, you don't lose, you learn and I felt an experience like this for this group was the beginning.

Newcastle may have lost the battle that ultimately mattered on the pitch on Sunday, but Murphy felt the travelling supporters did the club proud in London over the course of the weekend. Over 40,000 fans were estimated to have travelled down to the capital to show their support with over 30,000 in attendance at Wembley Stadium.

“[The fans] amazing,” Murphy continued. “I stood at my hotel looking out the window seeing everyone walking by, they took over and they won their battle but we just couldn't give them the result they deserved.

"I hope they're proud of us because we're proud of them.”