In the years to come, Chelsea boss Frank Lampard might look back on Thursday’s 2-1 win over Manchester City with conflicting thoughts.
For the wider footballing community, the Blues' victory over Pep Guardiola's side will be remembered for ensuring Liverpool clinched their first-ever Premier League title.
But for Lampard in particular, it will be recalled as a crucial moment of his development as a manager with this group of players.
For all of the Blues’ progression this season, much of it has been placed under the patronising narrative that Lampard’s squad is young, naive and one for the future rather than the here and now.
That is true to some extent with the 42-year-old handing Premier League debuts to a total of eight Chelsea academy graduates this term.
That youthfulness has led to inconsistency and may explain why they are not yet perceived as a legitimate title challenger to Liverpool or City.
However, Thursday’s win over Guardiola should stand as a key moment in Lampard’s evolution not only as a tactical thinker but as manager of Chelsea Football Club.
A turning point that, if everything goes to plan, will be seen as the first real evidence of Lampard being able to out-think the very elite opposition managers.
True, he had done so to some extent against Liverpool in the FA Cup with a 2-0 win, but the Reds played a relatively weaker side compared to the one which has produced Premier League glory this season.
Nevertheless, beating City showcased how Lampard has several weapons in his armoury to overcome the very best.
Guardiola often prides himself on being able to change games in favour of his side - he appeared to have done that to some extent in the second half on Thursday when City gained an upper hand both in possession and overall dominance.
Lampard, though, was equal to the task with clear instructions sent to his midfield trio of N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount and Ross Barkley to counter press City’s attacking options in key areas of the pitch.
The fact that City gained an advantage in the early part of the second half showed that Barkley, in particular, is still some way off being able to play a full 90 minutes at the intensity required against elite sides.
That made the Chelsea manager’s job of choosing the right substitutions at the right time all the more important.
Not only did he shore up the midfield with Matteo Kovacic’s introduction, but he also brought Tammy Abraham into the game at exactly the right time.
The England international provided a constant threat against City’s defensive line and made a vital contribution which led to Fernandinho’s red card and subsequent penalty.
Some Chelsea fans may want to see more of that from the youngster but coming on against a tired defensive line in the second period showed how threatening his pace and attacking runs can be.
While many of those findings may get lost in the hysteria of Liverpool winning the Premier League title, Lampard will be quietly content with the way he managed to nullify one of Europe’s most potent attacks.
Not only that, but he showed his ability to maximising the potential of his entire squad with key substitutions from the bench.
