At the end of a tumultuous weekend in north London, Tottenham Hotspur had a golden chance to emphasise the shift in power in their rivalry with Arsenal. They blew it.
As Arsenal tried to come to terms with the impending exit of Arsene Wenger and the task of forcing their way back into the elite of the Premier League, Spurs seemed poised to move closer to winning their first trophy for a decade.
Instead, a dispiritingly familiar narrative played out for Spurs fans in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United at Wembley.