There was a moment in the second period of extra time where I looked down from my very-high Wembley seat and could spot some weary legs across both sets of players.
This felt like a long final. 120 minutes had followed a pretty tense 90 minutes that included VAR shenanigans, changes in momentum and some baffling misses. Tired passes, sloppy first touches and uncharacteristic errors are par for the course in extra time.
But even with much younger legs failing, it was Chelsea's Benjamin Button who continued to remain undeterred from potential chaos around him.
Thiago Silva is probably in line to become Chelsea's player of the season, only rivalled by his defensive partner Antonio Rudiger and midfield peer Mateo Kovacic. Silva at 37 is ageing like fine wine and looks like a player who cost Chelsea triple what they actually paid for him in 2020.
Probably his most heroic contribution on the afternoon was a clearance from Mohamed Salah off the line.
Despite being on the halfway line and far from play, Silva managed to sprint back, reading where Salah was aiming to place his effort and cleared it without much fuss whilst his teammates were jogging.
This is one moment that so perfectly exemplifies the extraordinary level of defensive perfection Chelsea fans have become accustomed to.
There almost is a feeling that whenever the "best defender in the world" conversation springs up, the usual names are included like Silva's opponent yesterday Virgil van Dijk.
Antonio Rudiger's displays since Thomas Tuchel's appointment has helped the German enter that conversation, but surely Silva should be in there too?
It feels like Silva, given his age and the fact he is now in the final chapter of his career, is referred to differently.
Sure, he is given ample credit for his defensive excellence but when fees are being flung out for players 15-years younger than him reaching the £100m mark, few actually come close to the Brazillian's consistent excellence.
“I hope I can do the same thing that Paolo Maldini did at Milan, playing until he was 40 or 41 years old,” the centre-back said last summer.
“That’s my plan for the immediate future. I have prepared myself for that and now at 36 years old I continue to play at a high level and that gives me a great deal of pride.”
You have to balance these incredible displays with the conversations surrounding his initial arrival under Frank Lampard in August 2020 after PSG opted to not offer him a new contract.
His age dominated the conversation. I was one who foolishly doubted Silva. Concerned about the pace of the Premier League and that extreme adaptation so late into his career.
But his age and wisdom have become a priceless superpower few players hold, an encyclopaedia of defensive knowledge, a level of game understanding few will ever possess.
His performance at Wembley on Sunday was worth the price of admission.
Not just for his tenacious blocks, clearances and sniffing out danger. But for the way he carries the ball out, the pinpoint switches of play that masterfully land at the feet of their receiver consistently.
The managing of those around him to be stationed in the right position to help Chelsea stifle danger.
His contract extension to 2023 was a massive coup for the club as he sat smiling next to Marina Granovskaia in early January.
However, I'd go one further and offer him a lifetime contract. Offer him the keys to Stamford Bridge and a guaranteed coaching role if he wants it when he hangs up his boots.
Watching Thiago Silva play football is a privilege, Sunday was only another example of how transformative a signing he has been.
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