Some deep irony was at play inside the Brighton technical area about half a second after Erling Haaland stroked Manchester City in front, assistant Jonas Scheuermann motioning to fourth official Tony Harrington that the refereeing team had been influenced by the crowd.
Flatter crowds than this are hard to remember at the Etihad Stadium, thousands of empty seats amid ongoing unease between regular match-going fans and the executives who organise ticketing. The huge North Stand expansion looms like a yawning question.
Despite two setbacks over the past week, City were bang in a title race heading into this and that the place was not full – and the noise or lack thereof giving off an apathetic vibe – does not bode well.