Mixed emotions stem from an evening that did not really mean a lot from a Chelsea perspective in the grand scheme of things. Champions League qualification was solved in Salzburg last week with the top spot secure, for a year filled with drama for the club this was a bizarrely low-key affair.
It certainly did not pass without any talking points. Three stand out in the 2-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday night: the change in formation, the debut of Denis Zakaria and the injury to Ben Chilwell.
It was a mostly positive evening that made it four wins out of five in the Champions League for Graham Potter, and saw Chelsea players respond well following the weekend's humbling at Brighton.
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The change to an attacking 4-3-3 certainly aided the hosts' ability to break down a resilient Zagreb who successfully nullified the Blues in the reverse fixture. One of the big beneficiaries of this alteration was Raheem Sterling, starting in a more comfortable wide area from the right, as Kai Havertz played central and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looked to make runs from the left.
Sterling could have scored more than the one he cooly slotted past Dominik Livakovic to level the score after Bruno Petkovic gave Zagreb an early lead minutes earlier. He was able to find dangerous positions inside the six-yard-box, a position he became famed for at Manchester City. That ability has been less able to shine in the wingback role he has been asked to play in recent weeks. Netting his fifth since his £45m summer move can briefly silence some of the recent criticism of his performances and hopefully trigger a strong burst of form before the World Cup.
Zakaria was the highlight of the night, finally making his Chelsea debut after being a bystander since his deadline-day loan move from Juventus. For someone with a severe lack of minutes, he looked sharp, composed and decisive as he drove into the box and slotted home the winning goal before half-time. Having a 96 per cent pass completion, made one interception, and a goal from one shot from 35 touches.
With that goal and a win, it looked like it was going to conclude quite peacefully for Potter but then one step and grimace the mood turned. Ben Chilwell appeared to pop his hamstring, so cruelly close to the blade of grass he gained that season-ending ligament injury last November in the Champions League.
This injury is unlikely to end his season but it compounds a growing injury list on the eve of a World Cup break that may actually aid Chelsea in the long run.
Eyebrows were raised when the lineup was released for the game and Potter had opted for a pretty strong eleven for an effectively meaningless game. In an unrelenting schedule that is demanding a lot from elite players in a congested period, the gift of a dead rubber felt like an open goal for Potter to rotate. He did not take it, something that arguably came back to bite him with Chilwell's injury.
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