When Leeds United star Raphinha climbed into the away end at Brentford following the final match of the Premier League season, it felt as if the flares burning around him were fuelling hope of a brighter day. The team had survived and a fire-sale would be avoided.
What has played out since renders memory of that breathless afternoon as hazy as the west London sunshine.
You left the Brentford Community Stadium believing that Leeds — odds-on favourites for relegation before kick-off — had won a reprieve. What they have since lost is their two best players, Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips, bound for Chelsea and Manchester City respectively.