It seems a lot longer than a month ago since the appointment of Paul Tierney for the FA Cup semi-final was seen as giving an advantage to Manchester City. That suggestion was as ridiculous then as it was now, but while there was no bias whatsoever to the referee's performance at Elland Road, Jack Grealish for one will not be sorry if he doesn't have to rely on that approach to a game to get decisions any time soon.
Pep Guardiola and City knew that Elland Road would not be a pleasant experience for them. Not only do Leeds pride themselves on their hostile reputation but a City squad fighting on multiple fronts is tired enough that Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne were both named on the bench ahead of the second leg of the Champions League semi-final in Madrid on Wednesday - the first time neither have started a league game since Tottenham away on the opening day (which City lost).
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With the help of Tierney, City started smoothly and effectively. Junior Firpo was booked in the opening minutes of the game for bringing down Raheem Sterling in a dangerous position on the right, and shortly after that Sterling won a free-kick on the left that Phil Foden swung in for Rodri to head home. The Spaniard went to celebrate in front of the home fans, only to quickly realise from their reaction he was better off changing direction.
De Bruyne and Bernardo were missed, with Leeds getting the better of the midfield and wrestling control away from the visitors. Jesse Marsch urged his team to up the tempo at every opportunity and the game became ragged in a way that Guardiola detests as his team uncharacteristically could not keep possession.
Grealish, handed a rare start in this run-in, was one of those at fault. In the team to keep the ball glued at his feet, he was culpable of hacking away aimlessly as the Blues sought unsuccessfully to relieve the pressure.
The former Villa man wasn't helped, however, by the changing threshold of what the referee deemed a foul. Grealish was in the team to do what Sterling was managing on the other flank: keep the ball and run at defenders to either create goalscoring opportunities or earn a set-piece.
To the frustration of the player, and his teammates, any joy he had in this usually ended in the same way - a foul that the officials failed to give. And every time he ended up on the ground and wasn't rewarded, an already-furious crowd got even more whipped up and the game became even more pressurised and out of control for City.
The culmination of chaos came at the end of the first half when he was caught late by Stuart Dallas after getting the ball. "You're not fit to referee," came the chant from the home fans for Tierney having the temerity to give a City free-kick.
Booed more than any other player, fouled more than any other player, Grealish kept his cool and his composure. There were no flashpoints like in the Atletico games, instead, the England man stuck to his task of keeping Leeds pinned back on his flank and taking them on when he got the chance.
It is unlikely to be enough to see him start in City's biggest remaining games this season, with other players ahead of him in the pecking order. Raheem Sterling, for one, showed that he is more in form and more in tune with what Guardiola wants.
As rough as his afternoon was though, Grealish can take credit from managing his instructions better than the officials did theirs and coming through a fierce test.
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