On Twelfth Night at Stamford Bridge, the Christmas decorations were still shimmering.
And although head coach Graham Potter's bauble hasn't burst yet, he knows Chelsea managers live or die by results, not pretty window-dressing or hard-luck stories. By the time Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang became a new mascot for their wretched form – just six points from a possible 24 either side of Christmas – the sparkle had long evaporated from Chelsea's first-half promise.
When owner Todd Boehly binned Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel four months ago, at first it looked as if he had hired Harry Potter's twin brother from Hogwarts as replacement. But Blues fans who watched them stumble at Brentford or humiliated by Brighton have been increasingly concerned that Boehly headhunted Brian Potter from Phoenix Nights.
And never mind the top four clubs in the country: Unless they pull their fingers out, Chelsea may not even finish among the top four clubs in London.
They are not even in the top two in west London. Do not adjust your goblin bins, that really is the Bees and Fulham above Potter's side in the table.
For 45 minutes, Chelsea were the better side, hustling the champions out of their stride and 19-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka, dripping with promise, rattled a post.
But Aubameyang, who has only scored one Premier League goal for Chelsea – and that was on his debut – is a prolific striker with a great future behind him.
And we can add the former Arsenal captain to a long list of expensive recruits who have fitted Chelsea's forward line hand-in-sock: At the Bridge, one man's Aubameyang is another man's Adrian Mutu, Andriy Shevchenko or Timo Werner.
In his programme notes. Potter was commendably honest about his side's lukewarm performances, admitting: “We have been far from perfect, myself included, so any criticism is part of the journey.
“Expectations are high and so they should be. We are not here for anything else other than to compete for every major title there is, but we also have to be honest and say we are not at that level right now.”
Too right. On this evidence, Chelsea have no chance of making the Champions League next season.
