The second strike of lightning never afraid. They had come in droves, a black-and-white army marching through the tight streets, hoping for a miracle but it was all too much.
Grimsby Town had captured the hearts of neutrals, thanks to their heroics against Manchester United in August, and left locals hoping the League Cup’s quarter-finals would include their team’s name for the first time since 1985.
Football, though, only provides romance only fleetingly. Here was a sobering lesson, a ruthless dismantling at the hands of an established and progressive Premier League side that – do not forget – have grand ambitions of their own.