On a confused afternoon of noisy support and just as voluble protest, a breathless match climaxed with the goal that could well keep Leeds United in the Premier League.
It arrived in the second minute of injury-time. Moments before, with Brighton leading 1-0, Leeds' survival hopes were fading as quickly as the smile that Jesse Marsch has worn so defiantly in recent weeks.
But here, finally, was genuine cause for the Leeds boss to beam, and with it 36,000 happy faces inside Elland Road. Their team is now one point clear of the bottom three with one game to play.