It is tempting to imagine that, as the final whistle went on Chelsea’s startling win down in London, up in Leicester Mauricio Pochettino hurriedly tried to reclaim his team-sheet so to scribble in biro the name of Harry Kane somewhere in the line-up.
Clearly with Barcelona on the brain, Tottenham’s manager left out his most potent weapon at the King Power Stadium, for the first time this season.
But with the Premier League picture shifting in unforeseen ways, a victory here could be just as crucial in the long run. As it happens, Pochettino knows what he is doing.