A broken dam. Brentford's will and guile forced that, but so did the sharpness of Manchester City's backline.
A stretched, dazed back line that will be strengthened in the coming days with two new faces. That cannot come soon enough for the champions in this mid-season transition that Pep Guardiola has approved in a busy January period.
And that's not to say that a pair of young centre-halves – Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens, teenager Vitor Reis from Palmeiras – will solve City's problems. It would be unfair to expect that from them.
Still, perhaps their introductions provide a respite of sorts for someone like Manuel Akanji, whose mistakes languish. Or Josko Gvardiol, who Guardiola spoke to at full-time as City blew a two-goal lead with eight minutes to go.
A weekend or two out of the line of fire can be good and ease the obvious mental fatigue. Both Brentford goals were preventable: Yoane Wissa with a three-yard radius to turn under the posts as he crossed past Stefan Ortega and Christian Norgaard enjoying a free run to score the equalizer in the 92nd minute. Nathan Aké threw his arms around in frustration and he wasn't the only one.
City missed the chance to close these points. They had been generally positive on a chaotic evening when the sides exchanged 39 shots between them. They threw punches at each other and City matched the intensity of a Thomas Frank team that is always scared.
“What a football match,” Frank said. 'It is the first time in ninety minutes that we have faced each other. I know they're not at full speed, but they're still producing incredible brilliance.”
City had three chances to secure a third win in a row after Phil Foden's double. Guardiola seemed more irritated by City's failure to 'accelerate' at Brentford, discussing how often his attackers chose the wrong options rather than a defensive collapse. “What I missed today was that we didn't make the right decisions in the actions when we could run,” Guardiola said.
That brings a third potential signing this month into sharp focus: Omar Marmoush. He can run. In Germany, Marmoush was lining up for Eintracht Frankfurt at exactly the same time, where he later scored in a 4-1 win over Freiburg.
Txiki Begiristain continues to negotiate with his colleague Markus Krosche about finances. Sources indicated earlier this week that talks were progressing well, with Frankfurt expecting to recoup around £67 million.
Seeing Matheus Nunes gallop forward from right-back – cutting through with almost too much time on his hands – and then hesitate enough for Brentford to steal possession back in their own penalty area suggested City are right to look for more killer instinct.
The man in majority control, Erling Haaland, couldn't stretch far enough to fire in a beautiful left-footed cross from De Bruyne, which weaved its way painfully out of Mark Flek's reach.
City know they need more firepower to help Haaland, although the Norwegian later irritated Guardiola when he took a pass from De Bruyne too early. De Bruyne then almost cleared the stands in an attempt to roll in a loose ball. Things could be better in that department.
But they are also fully aware that while goal scoring has not come as freely this year, defensive reinforcements are just as important and will cost the pair in excess of £60m.
Guardiola was right in his assessment that there were decent things to bring back from West London, but he let this slide. Especially after doing the hard work of weathering a storm when the real chances fell to Bryan Mbeumo, Wissa, Mikkel Damsgaard and Keane Lewis-Potter.
The quality of Foden's opener showed how good these attackers can still be. Savinho, a threat all evening and hitting a post, sauntered and found De Bruyne wide right.
One touch, curl, Foden between the center halves, a deft guide to the far post. Poetry. Foden scored a hat-trick here last February, marking his first goals in consecutive starts since April. It would be a huge bonus to have him back properly.
That was their moment when everything came together, but City's openness still yawns. Cut to pieces again, Mbeumo on Wissa's byline. Six meters further, Ake threw himself to try to prevent a certain equalizer. Warnings would go unheeded.
It should have provided a platform to secure these points, with Foden soon shrugging off celebrations and claiming a second after coming together on a loose ball with De Bruyne.
But Brentford rallied. Wissa pushed past Ortega from Mads Roerslev's center with eight minutes to go and there was a sense of more to come. Norgaard towered from a late cross, Ortega looked too weak and failed to keep out the header.
Ortega appeared upset afterwards, Guardiola passionately telling his goalkeeper – again instead of Ederson – to keep his head high.
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