Arsene Wenger is not renowned for his ability to smile through the pain of defeat - especially not against Manchester United and definitely not in a Champions League semi-final.
And yet here he was in Old Trafford's media suite, not exactly wise-cracking but certainly jaunty, exuding optimism from every pore, despite seeing Arsenal taken to the cleaners in everything but scoreline by Manchester United.
Arsenal's fans recite a mantra to Wenger as a sign of their cast-iron faith in his wisdom and ability. "Arsene Knows" is how it goes.
And he certainly seemed to know something the rest of us had missed as he dissected a semi-final first leg in which Arsenal were outclassed for long periods, then confidently forecast a victorious outcome after next Tuesday's return at the Emirates.
Wenger was stating the most unconvincing of cases, based on the evidence available at Old Trafford, with utter conviction - .
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Guus Hiddink has given Chelsea's mission to erase the memories of last season's Champions League final heartbreak fresh drive and direction - but they fell back on the old reliables of durability and defensive discipline .
This was not the place, or indeed the opposition, for the fluid attacking game that in the quarter-final first leg or the defensive frailty that saw .
Hiddink's natural attacking instincts were reined in to deliver a game plan designed to contain Barcelona's glorious approach play and the deadly finishing of Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o.
It produced the required result - although a goalless draw is encouraging as opposed to decisive as a platform for when the sides meet again at Stamford Bridge next Wednesday.
Chelsea have proved they can hold Barcelona. Now they must prove they can beat them.
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Ricky Sbragia may have been stretching the truth to breaking point by suggesting Sunderland "just didn't turn up" to face West Bromwich Albion on Saturday - but he was not far off the mark.
about Sunderland's performance in the 3-0 defeat at the Hawthorns read like a suicide note written in advance of the sad death of their Premier League status.
Sunderland's decent and dignified manager refused to hide - unlike so many of his players - and here is a rundown of just some of the problems he detected.
"Embarrassing...poor...can't explain...passing was poor and decision-making was poor...didn't raise the tempo...did nothing...front two poor...wasn't acceptable...firing blanks all day...we probably went wrong turning up."
The final point was a slight contradiction to Sbragia's claim that Sunderland did not actually turn up - but you get the idea, and if anything he was going easy on them.
In other words, the only thing Sunderland offered in any serious quantity was huge encouragement to every team below them in the Premier League.
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Sir Alex Ferguson and Paul Hart used the words like an automatic reflex action to the mere mention of his name - an example.
Paul Scholes had just marked his 600th Manchester United appearance with a moment of under-stated brilliance that could easily have come from so many of his previous 599.
Manchester United were just fraying a little around the edges until Scholes produced a pass of perfect vision and flawless weight for Michael Carrick to wrap up that edges the Salford-born midfield man closer to his ninth Premier League title.
Scholes was surrounded by United team-mates who appreciated the moment before he saw out time and departing back into the anonymity he craves.
Eight-goal classics may be all the rage these days, but experience has informed Scholes that do the job just as well, indeed they do it better, when it comes to the business of collecting silverware.
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Rafael Benitez's mood was so dark after this magnificent spectacle against Arsenal that mention of was treated as a moment of light relief.
Benitez said nothing but at least allowed a hint of a smile to play across his face - a brief respite from his agonised outpourings about the "massive mistakes" that may just have pulled the rug from under Liverpool's Premier League title challenge.
He had the best seat in the house for a glorious, that saw remarkable personal feats in the shape of Andriy Arshavin's four goals for Arsenal and outstanding contributions for Liverpool from Fernando Torres and Yossi Benayoun.
And yet if you had been the brave man who informed Benitez he had just witnessed a classic - and Liverpool seem to be involved in them on a regular basis these days - he would have been in no mood to listen.
This is because the real winners in this meeting between Liverpool's big hitters and the ruthless counter punchers of Arsenal were actually Manchester United.
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Habitually portrayed as the archetypal dour Scot, Everton manager David Moyes was sporting a smile so fixed that even a surgeon's scalpel might not have successfully guaranteed its removal.
And why not after the finest day of his career and tangible reward for seven years of toil and sound footballing practice in the shape of an FA Cup final appearance against Chelsea on 30 May?
Moyes carried a cup as well as a beaming grin into his post-match Wembley briefing - and if it contained something bubbly after Everton had secured their first final in 14 years with Sunday's penalty shoot-out win over Manchester United, he was entitled to his moment of celebration.
Yes, this was another awful match played out on but when , Moyes' already glowing reputation was given another layer of gloss.
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Tony Pulis is taking a break from Stoke City's relegation fight to run the London Marathon - Alan Shearer's sights are set only on a short sprint to safety for Newcastle United.
Pulis will hope Stoke have taken more giant strides towards their goal of staying in the Premier League by the time he starts his . Shearer simply wants to negotiate six more games and collect enough points to ensure his emergency mission to save Newcastle from the drop is remembered as a success and not a gallant failure.
And both men emerged with cause for optimism from that was as memorable for the atmosphere inside the Britannia Stadium as it was for the quality of football on offer.
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Guus Hiddink revealed Chelsea could smell victory in the air as they geared up to all but extinguish Liverpool's Champions League hopes - a far cry from the odour that surrounded them on their last Anfield visit.
Hiddink said: "If a team feels that an opponent can be hurt in some parts it would be stupid not to go for that. The team knows that and if a team smells that it is good. It is good that the Chelsea team had that smell here."
Chelsea followed the scent and it led them to the brink of a place in the last four of the Champions League with a swagger that was a stunning example of the restorative powers of one of the world's master coaches.
When Chelsea played at Anfield on a freezing Sunday in February with a cold snap about to bite, the only stench detected was that given off by a decaying team under the stewardship of .
If then effectively sealed Luiz Felipe Scolari's Stamford Bridge fate, the manner of Chelsea's performance and approach here will only increase the desire to turn Hiddink's temporary tenure into a permanent residency.
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Manchester United's knack of placing themselves in dire peril only to somehow make a dramatic escape is portrayed as part of the magic of the club by Sir Alex Ferguson
Ferguson simply regards this as Manchester United's way - and may explain the Scot's calm demeanour in front of Europe's media as he dissected a desperate night against Porto that leaves them clinging to the Champions League crown by their fingernails.
is Ferguson's prime exhibit, but United may have to become the first English side to win in Porto's intimidating Estadio do Dragao if they are dig themselves out of their latest deep hole.
Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira's poker face never flickered as he revealed a secret behind when he said: "We never forgot we were playing against the World and European champions."
Some feat this - and easier said than done on a night when United never remotely resembled champions of the world, Europe or anywhere else for that matter.
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Alan Shearer wasted no time in reaching for the last refuge of the beaten manager as he announced he was going to "take the positives" from a painful start to his Newcastle United reign.
The positives, , were in very short supply - indeed they just about stretched as far as his opening shot that Newcastle had worked very hard before being overpowered by Chelsea.
It was a strange day down on the Tyne and there have been plenty of those. The mood-swings between the build up to Shearer's first game and the aftermath of the 2-0 defeat was almost like entering one world and leaving another.
Shearer was everywhere before the game, the old replica shirt back in the shop windows and supporters almost floating on air through the city streets to the ground.
Sadly, the reality was more brutal and the drinkers in and The Strawberry in the shadow of St James' Park were having to swallow a few bitter pills along with their Brown Ale after the game.
Chelsea failed to read the script for the hero's return - but Shearer's sheer force of personality remains Newcastle's best hope of avoiding the drop into the Championship.
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Fabio Capello's iron mask slipped for just a moment in a rare public display of emotion that emphasised the importance of .
A defiant double-pump of the fists followed by a sharp burst of applause at Wembley's final whistle, it revealed a hitherto hidden side to the normally stone-faced Italian who is guiding England expertly towards next summer's World Cup.
John Terry's bundled winner five minutes from time was not a thing of beauty. England's performance was not easy on the eye either - but maximum points at the halfway point of the qualifying campaign carries greater weight than marks for artistic merit.
was so out of character it drew a question at his post-match debriefing and was explained thus: "It was because I understand the players and I understand the moment, When the referee whistled time I was very happy."
And why not? The reality - although both Capello and England's players are wise enough to resist say it - is that it will take a collapse of epic proportions to stop them reaching South Africa after this latest win.
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A former title-winning manager once insisted you could actually smell a club was in crisis the moment you opened its doors - and it seems the stench of relegation has become too overpowering for owner to bear.
So, to clear the air and avoid the notoriety of being labelled as the man who bundled Newcastle into the , Ashley has taken the latest in a series of managerial gambles.
This time he has to come up with a winner - and in until the end of the season Ashley may just have hit the jackpot.
Sound footballing logic suggests giving someone with no managerial experience eight games to save Newcastle from relegation is not so much a gamble, more an act of footballing suicide.
Newcastle, however, have rarely operated on the basis of sound footballing logic and parachuting in Shearer may just be the desperate measure that turns into a masterstroke.
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