It all looked so normal. Close to the far touchline, a group of Liverpool players popped a ball around in one of those high-speed rondos, as Arne Slot's right-hand man Sipke Hulshoff supervised and barked out encouragement.
The sun was shining, the Liverpool fans in the Bill Shankly Kop were resplendent in red and the teamsheet was rich with intrigue: Giorgio Mamardashvili, the Georgia international, was starting in goal for the first time; academy graduates Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni offered future promise.
But as you surveyed this scene, the melancholic choice of song being played inside Deepdale felt wholly appropriate.