Up until the moment when Andy Cole pulled ball No8 out of the hat and consigned West Ham to a quarter-final trip to Liverpool, this was not far off the perfect night for David Moyes.
On the back foot after three successive defeats in a grim week, the shiny coat slipping off an encouraging start to the season, a response was needed and delivered. A bold team selection, including a forward line far more potent for Jarrod Bowen's central deployment, brought Moyes's first win over Arsenal as Hammers boss and with it a place in the last eight of a Carabao Cup that, despite a harsh draw, looks up for grabs.
True, Martin Odegaard's last-kick consolation furrowed the Scot's brow, his team now six games without a clean sheet, but by that stage any criticism was minor, a comfortable triumph secure thanks to strikes from Bowen and the excellent Mohammed Kudus, after Ben White's own-goal had given the home side a freak lead.
And so it was from gleefully upon high that hoards of home fans could delay their exits to return Declan Rice's tight lap of applause, the former Hammers captain back at the London Stadium for the first time since his £105million summer switch on an evening that could hardly have strayed further from his plan.
Many of the boos that greeted the midfielder's introduction shortly before the hour were, you suspect, of the pantomime variety, and the multiple ovations at various stages each heartfelt, but this was a statement result for east London's post-Rice era, which already feels in full swing.
Hitting the ground running was always going to be vital to West Ham's chances of quietly moving on from Rice (right, last night) and in that regard it certainly helped that the Englishman's de-facto replacement, Edson Alvarez, arrived oven-ready.
The Mexican's performances have dipped since the international break but here he was back to his best, forcing the corner that led to the hosts's opener and dominating an Arsenal midfield that looked flimsy until Rice's arrival. "I think everybody is entitled to their form of opinion," Moyes said of the reception for his former charge. "There isn't a person in this stadium tonight who doesn't recognise Declan Rice is a top football player. But there was a lot of West Ham supporters in there tonight who probably hoped that he didn't do so well and their team won."
Of the various rivalries that crisscross London's club football scene, that between Arsenal and West Ham has seldom been much to write home about. If anything, they have simply shared hatred of Tottenham. But the summer's transfer saga around Rice did, between sets of supporters at least, provoke some friction and while one should always be wary of transposing social media into stadia, the prodigal son's first return did seem to add some atmospheric spice to an encounter that for 45 minutes was, frankly, deserving of none.
White's header past his own keeper meant the Hammers led at the break without having had a shot, while Arsenal themselves had created nothing clear-cut.
That all changed after the interval, though, Bowen's dink saved by Aaron Ramsdale a warning, before Kudus controlled brilliantly off the outside of his foot to fire home. The Ghanaian, like Alvarez signed from Ajax with a chunk of the Rice money, was heavily linked with Arsenal earlier in the summer and after another tepid display from Kai Havertz, Mikel Arteta may be wondering today whether he backed the wrong horse.
In fluid link with both Kudus and Lucas Paqueta, Bowen did a stellar job of leading the line, his seventh goal of the season already offering further evidence for a permanent shift to accommodate all three players without need for a recognised centre-forward. How Moyes must rue that Paqueta, along with Alvarez, is suspended for Saturday's trip to Brentford, necessitating an immediate rejig.
A tie against Port Vale at home in the next round might have been due reward and Moyes must curse his luck in this competition, having two seasons ago knocked out both Manchester clubs, only to be dealt a quarter-final at Spurs.
So it is, instead to Anfield, a ground where he has never won. Triumph there and hopes of silverware to mark this first post-Rice season will soar.
