After suffering a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Inter Milan in their opening game of the Champions League, Tottenham Hotspur got off to the worst possible start at home to Barcelona this evening. A Hugo Lloris mistake compounding any potential problems Mauricio Pochettino may have foreseen.
On the first match back at Wembley Stadium since Anthony Joshua defeated Alexander Povetkin, the portion of the pitch given over to the general area inhabited by the boxing ring appeared to be far from what one would normally expect of Spurs' adopted home.
Not that the French World Cup winner will find any excuses here.
Working the ball from just outside their own box up the pitch, a wonderful pass from Lionel Messi fed in Jordi Alba down the left-hand side.
What the Spanish full-back saw next surely must have surprised him. Rushing from his goal, Hugo Lloris committed far too much to Alba's move. Swiftly playing the ball back in side, former Liverpool man Philippe Coutinho was on-hand to finish the chance off well.
A great start for Barcelona, what Lloris had in mind will remain a mystery.
