He re-appeared with a gauze wedged into a nostril, blood wiped away and a new shirt that bore no name or number.
Aleksandar Mitrovic had been cracked in the nose by Joachim Andersen’s arm after three minutes at Craven Cottage.
Once back on the pitch, it was business as usual — a goal in either half on his first start in two months after an eight-game ban.
As Fulham’s top scorer with 15 goals, he had been truly missed. Team-mate Willian said: ‘He’s an important player. He’s a player who scores goals, a target for us.