For Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City side, the celebrations at full-time at Goodison Park on Saturday pointed to a monumental result in the context of their substandard campaign.
City have set the benchmark in English football, as the first side to win four top-flight titles in a row, but they will relinquish their hold on the trophy this season.
They also fell in the Champions League last 16 - and for 84 minutes on Merseyside, it seemed like they were facing a real battle to compete in Europe's elite club competition next term.
But two late goals from the emerging star Nico O'Reilly and experienced midfielder Mateo Kovacic gave City a hard-fought victory at Everton.