Victor Lindelof's tracksuit had stayed on all afternoon on New Year's Day in Wolverhampton yet he was on his feet to celebrate a stoppage-time free-kick.
Manchester United were homing in on victory at Molineux, Harry Maguire had been summoned to increase their averagem height and Lindelof was unused. He was as jubilant at Toti's foul on Aaron Wan-Bissaka as any of the away-dayers in the Steve Bull Stand.
Lindelof has since been restricted to half-a-dozen starts against clubs currently in the bottom six of the Premier League, as well as Reading, now plunged into the relegation quagmire of the Championship.
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Before Raphael Varane hobbled off and Lisandro Martinez's metatarsal snapped, Lindelof was in danger of having his most unfulfilling season at United. Now he is one of a handful of certain starters in both of their cup ties this week.
Lindelof was unflappable on his first Premier League start since January 3 at the City Ground. He ceded possession only three times and won all of his ground duels. Taiwo Awoniyi was manhandled by Maguire and almost inadvertently assisted by Diogo Dalot but had no joy against Lindelof.
The Swede was a worthy interim partner for Martinez while Varane recovered from an ankle injury in October and November. United have a record of eight wins and one defeat with Lindeof and Martinez, the one blemish coming in Unai Emery's first match as Aston Villa manager. They have started once together in the Premier League since.
Lindelof has broken the 30-game barrier in every season at United bar his first when the adaptation was so turbulent he was not even included in the FA Cup final squad. After United's momentum-killing defeat at Huddersfield, Lindelof resembled a criminal leaving court with two hoods pulled over his head as he emerged from the John Smith's Stadium.
United have had a modest return on the £39million they invested in Lindelof, though he has earned approval from four diverse managers. Ironically, it is the manager who is most aligned with Lindelof who has marginalised him.
For no discernible reason, Erik ten Hag has underused Lindelof since United's season resumed four days before Christmas and Maguire has risen in the centre-back pecking order. Maguire has been at the front of four of United's last seven line-ups.
Ten Hag lamented Lindelof's absence at the start of the season almost as much as Anthony Martial's. Lindelof started all five of the first team's pre-season friendlies and he was one of the first players trusted by United media staff to speak about the impression Ten Hag had made on the squad.
There are still times where Ten Hag can play the politics better. Selecting Maguire over Lindelof in the second leg against Real Betis and for the FA Cup quarter-final defeat of Fulham signalled a shift and both centre halves spoke with uncertainty about their club futures once they landed in their national team training camps.
United view Maguire as a sellable asset and discarding both reserve centre-backs when there are no senior alternatives would be unstable planning. Phil Jones will be released while Axel Tuanzebe and Eric Bailly's United careers should be mentioned in the past tense.
Lindelof has a smaller profile than Maguire, whose captaincy, cost and country arouse greater scrutiny than the Scandinavian. Lindelof's skill set would arguably generate more takers across the continent.
Maguire was more than scrutinised by the Nottingham Forest fans who heckled him with chants of "Leicester reject". Maguire overcame a shaky start and a nervous wait on a handball to record an 11th win in his last 11 United starts, a flattering statistic buttressed by six cup games and one against top-half-of-the-table opponents.
One of the advantages of United's injured XI is the value of squad players they can do without next season is creeping up. United would make a loss on the £80million Maguire but Lindelof, younger by 16 months, has largely retained his value since he moved to Manchester nearly six years ago.
Yet few United observers would argue Maguire is a more suitable defender for Ten Hag's squad beyond this season. In the meantime, Maguire and Lindelof will not be starting matches in their tracksuits.
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