Can you lose without being defeated?
That is the riddle posed by Sunderland's penalty shootout pain in the EFL Trophy final at Wembley.
The Black Cats went into the final against Portsmouth on the back of a 19-game unbeaten run in all competitons, a record that stretches back to their 3-1 League One defeat at the hands of Pompey on December 22.
Portsmouth claimed the silverware on Sunday after winning the shootout 5-4, but does that mean Sunderland's unbeaten run is now at an end?
Or do they head to Accrington Stanley in the league on Wednesday night looking to extend that run to 20 matches?
It is not clear-cut.
Wembley proves to be Sunderland's Waterloo but the big prize remains
Sunderland lost the penalty shootout and they were the losing finalists, that much we know.
And yet they did not lose the match.
The scores were level at 1-1 at the end of normal time, and it was 2-2 at the end of extra-time.
The shootout was effectively a tie-breaker that took place after the referee had blown the final whistle.
After all, successful conversions in shootouts are not added to a player's goals tally, which suggests that this method of determining the winner of a tie that cannot end in a draw is set apart from the usual norms that govern the game.
So how will Sunday's game go down in the record books?
That is a tricky question, and even football statisticians vary in the way they treat the outcome of cup ties decided on penalties.
Sunderland's official historian Rob Mason says: "It's an interesting question and there is no definitive answer.
"Some will say it is a draw, others that it's a defeat.
Jack Ross on Lee Cattermole's pain after his penalty miss at Wembley
"I will probably record it as a draw, but I would have to include an asterisk and say the tie was lost on penalties.
"The one thing you can definitely say is that Sunderland's most recent defeat came against Portsmouth – but which game, you'd have to decide for yourself!"
Of course, you could dodge the issue entirely and say Sunderland are still undefeated in the league since December, a run which extends to 16 games.
Or you could choose your words carefully and say Sunderland drew the match and lost the tie, and are therefore undefeated in their last 20 matches in all competitions.
The latter sounds about right to me.
