Watford's 2-2 draw at Preston on Saturday was an eventful one, not least because the Hornets looked very likely to lose it and win it on different occasions before eventually drawing it.
These are just five of the talking points to come out of the game, including the performance of Ed Still and the players who shone.
The line-up
After Still's commitment to playing fast, front-foot football in the week, his first line-up was always going to be intriguing.
The biggest surprise was in defence, where you could have polled every Watford fan about what they expected and none would have foreseen the omission of Marc Bola from the starting XI.
The head coach justified the selection of four centre-backs by saying simply: 'It's Preston away'. And the defence itself did fine – Stephen Mfuni continuing to look a sensation, surely better than Max Alleyne already, and James Abankwah doing fine defensively.
Stephen Mfuni battles (Image: Alex Cozzi/Watford FC)
The fact that Abankwah was the only natural width down his side was an issue, though, with Still's box midfield backfiring.
He spoke on Thursday about wanting to be compact, which explains why he picked Edo Kayembe, Papy Mendy, Imran Louza and Giorgi Chakvetadze to play close to each other, but – not helped by the pitch – it was all too congested.
Still didn't think the first half was terrible, but accepted he had got it wrong and quickly changed it.
Fast response
And the fact he showed that degree of proactivity and decisiveness is a big green flag.
The star of the second half, Kwadwo Baah, has hardly got into a rhythm due to being introduced so late in games this season, but Still wasted no time in acting when he knew the team display wasn't working.
He had plenty more to think about, too.
Saba Goglichidze, he revealed, needed to be removed having worked hard on a sticky surface, while he was under strict instructions from the medical staff to sub Mattie Pollock.
The head coach praised Abankwah, Mfuni and Formose Mendy for their adaptability and concentration levels, but he himself deserves credit for juggling an awful lot and acting quickly in his first game as head coach.
No wonder he admitted he was exhausted afterwards.
Brilliant Baah
Kwadwo Baah celebrates Watford's second (Image: Alan Cozzi/Watford FC)
However Baah's impact is the story of the day.
The entire season has not played out how he, the club or supporters expected, Paulo Pezzolano and Javi Gracia uncertain about his tactical output and some suggestion that they felt he should train better than he does.
Still alluded to the same afterwards – claiming he needs to 'get in Baah's head' to ensure he produces this level more consistently – but this was a demonstration of why the 23-year-old's playing time has been such a source of frustration.
After a stodgy first 45 minutes, Still kept it simple for Baah: run fast, stretch them, get into them. That he did, tearing at the full-back within moments of his introduction, setting up the equaliser, and proving a constant source of inspiration for the remainder.
It is not too late for Baah to have the say over this season that he ought to have been doing, whoever's fault, since August.
It will be hard for Still to leave him out against Derby next Saturday, when he must build on this hugely promising effort.
Too many draws
Watford should have won this game, there is little doubt about that.
Formose Mendy's left-footed volley that hit the post and rolled along the goal-line was agonising, particularly as it would have proved such an iconic moment for a player who could gain cult-hero status such is the way his Watford career has played out.
Othmane Maamma, who scored a terrific equaliser, benefitted from the space created by Baah dragging defenders over to the right, while Louza became increasingly influential having dropped back from his extremely advanced first-half position.
Ed Still applauds the away fans (Image: Alan Cozzi/Watford FC)
The Hornets showed again why so many opposition have feared them this season – but also demonstrated once more why that sentiment appears more likely than not to mean little come May.
They still sit three points behind sixth-placed Derby, who they play next, but really have to get winning fast and often if there is any hope of a play-off finish.
Failure to turn draws into wins has been a theme of the campaign and, ultimately, it continued here. No team has ended more matches all square, with these opponents Preston the other team joint-top of that list on 12.
A day to remember
While fans and the majority of players pick the bones out of a ding-dong draw, the day will go down as one of the most special of Edoardo Bove's life.
The midfielder was lucky to live after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch in December 2024, the last time he played competitive football.
Bove most likely felt a combination of extreme fear, nerves, excitement and relief when he was introduced as a late sub, as his tears after the whistle suggest.
He climbed into the stand to greet family before heading inside, and then returned to complete a warm-down and FaceTime others.
The Italian was hardly involved as a sub but that is an irrelevance after he completed an extraordinary personal feat.
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