Oliver Glasner would have cashed in if he could.
The plan could hardly have improved, but the initiative had been lost and the momentum was suddenly from Manchester City.
He Tweaked and Knutste, tried to strengthen midfield to recover control at the expense of Jean-Philippe Mateta and later admitted that it had been a mistake because Crystal Palace never looked like returning the city without an exhaust valve in the front.
And so, after having led 2-0, they gave five in 46 minutes, starting with the goal of Kevin De Bruyne of a free kick for a particularly foolish tackle by Daichi Kamada.
However, the Instinct of Glasner was correct if that was some comfort. He discovered a problem and did something instead of nothing, and his recognition of regret was fair and his status under the Palace Faith is safe.
For them, the Austrian can do nothing wrong in South Londs after just over a year. The end of 10th last season is about as good as it will be for Palace, who has not risen since Ian Wright and Mark Bright at the front.
This season he recovered from a bad start, causing them to led from danger in a fantastic range of Alpine Knitwear, and in the familiar comfort of mid-table and a profitable FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa, a team that they dump 4-1 in February.
An achievement that started debate where Glasner is in the Pantheon of Paleisbazen.
Already above Roy Hodgson and Terry Venables seemed to be the consensus, with an external opportunity to expel legend Steve Coppell if he brings the FA Cup home. That is recently bias for you.
Or maybe just a desperate urge to show appreciation, because his work in Selhurst Park attracts admirers.
Bayern Munich came around sniffing before he settled on Vincent Kompany last year, and now there is interest from Leipzig, who fired Marco Rose last month.
Tottenham such as the appearance of Glasner, according to reports in German Paper Bild last week, and all this raises various questions. One of them: have you monitored Spurs? Because they have more than a hint of an Antonio Conte team for them: beautifully organized with three central backs and dynamic wingbacks.
They are not worried about dominating a game. They had nine touches on Saturday in the penalty area of the city. But they have a compact defensive shape and break with a wonderful threat, just like Conte's teams. Such as conte's spurs. The Spurs for Ange Postecoglou came in under orders to change the playing style and make it fun again.
Anyway, another question: will Glasner cash in?
Timing is everything in this industry, because he will know very well that he won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022, finished in second place in the German cup a year later and left after a bad start of his third season.
Attractive vacancies and opportunities to get on the next sport of the wage ladder only come in good times. Maybe the question should be: why should he stay?
Management stock can fall into the space of a 12-game Winless Run. Just ask Patrick Vieira.
A year ago, few management shortlists did not include Kieran McKenna. Chelsea, Brighton and Manchester United all loved the appearance of the young coach who led Ippswich from League to the Premier League who played an attractive style of football.
McKenna is the same coach. You could claim wiser for his first Premier League experience, although a season spent fighting against a losing battle. Except now, he cannot be found in such conversations.
Andoni Iraola, Marco Silva and Thomas Frank all have ebbed and have flowed as the taste of the month, the results that the perceptions change despite the remarkable jobs that they all do.
In the case of Frank, almost seven years perform wonders about the smallest Premier League budget. And while Nuno Espirito Santo Manager of the Year could win, Tottenham was there and tried.
On one hour on Saturday, however, two in the Etihad Stadium and looking for the whole world as if his team could take their lead, the Glasner was firmly on trend. Crystal Palace wants him to stay, but why would he?
Even with a new deal with improved terms on the table, it is difficult to convince him that they can somehow stop Ebereechi, Adam Wharton and Marc Guehi, all in the same way as Michael Olise. And that the club can still recruit without sports director Dougie Freedman, who stopped for Saudi Arabia last month.
What is there without their sparkle to prevent Glasner from stumbling the same path as Vieira, the last manager who led Palace to a FA Cup semi -final and then fired within a year?
Football, once fickle. There is really no loyalty. He will have to trust his instinct.
Five things I learned this week
1. Matheus Cunha, back after serving his second prohibition of the season because he behaved like a toddler, wanted him to be known to follow 'his dream' and 'not yours'. At least he did it until some Wolves fans took offense, after which the message was removed. However, it is worth keeping in mind before it dreams about the unmistakably gifted Brazilian signing for your club in the summer.
2. Sheffield United's Tyrese Campbell has achieved double digits for goals for the first time in his career and Charlton's Tyreece Campbell has been chased. His winner in Cambridge was his ninth this season and had a recent shot of shape flowing, convinced that the 21-year-old is intended to play higher than League One, even if Charlton does not.
3. It was invoiced as a survival on Saturday in League Two and Survival Instinct started when the bottom four collided. Tranmere moisture of three in AcCHRington to equalize in the 101st minute. Carlisle won 2-0 at Morecambe to climb the bottom. But the Cumbrians are six on a drift with four to play and confronted with leaders Port Vale then. It might be a good time for Mark Hughes to reach to the Jimmy Glass Book of Escapology.
4. Ollie Pearce is the first player for 30 league goals. A hat trick for York in a 7-2 victory against Wembley-bound Aldershot means that the 29-year-old non-League target is the only player in the top five levels with more goals than Mo Salah.
5. If Manchester City and Aston Villa win their semi-final, the FA Cup finalists will match the FA Youth Cup finalists for the first time. Holders City came in this year's final at Villa at the Youth Cup Final by winning in Watford on Thursday. Matty Warhurst scored the only goal of the game, and sources tell me that Watford 'keeper Sam Morris was the real star.
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