In the week English football threw open its doors once more and rejoiced in the return of the crowd, Tottenham were hosting their first live shambles since the Covid lockdowns.
Beaten at home with protest songs in the air and scuffles between fans and stewards triggered by vague confusion over something as innocuous as a lap of appreciation.
It did not help that the public address system was on the blink in the world's first billion-pound football stadium or that fans were up in the gods so the sponsors' banners could look good on TV in the lower tiers.