For four days Manchester United have been in a title race. Maybe they still are, but the two points they let slip through their fingers at Selhurst Park could prove to be costly.
Rather than being six points behind Arsenal going into the weekend, United are now eight points behind. Lose and the gap will be 11 with the Gunners having a game in hand. It would surely be the death knell for any hopes of an unlikely title.
In truth, it was always a long shot. The heady days since the derby win have been welcome for United fans who have become too accustomed to suffering, but this was a reminder that they are a work in progress under Erik ten Hag.
READ MORE: Weghorst showed United Ten Hag was right about him
It would be a miracle if he steers them to the title in his first season in charge after the state he found the club in. It's still plausible but only because of the remarkable job he has already done.
By conceding a Michael Olise free-kick in the last minute United missed out on the chance of a 10th successive win, a mark they've not hit since this was Sir Alex Ferguson's lair back in 2009.
It would have been a stunning run of form and a feather in the cap for Ten Hag, but it wasn't to be. After taking the lead through Bruno Fernandes they didn't do enough to kill the game.
This is a learning curve for a team going places. Games are never dead in the Premier League when there's only one goal in it but United played like that was the case in the second half. They barely had an attack until it was too late, although Casemiro will wonder how he didn't restore the lead deep in stoppage time.
It was a reminder that they need more of a goal threat than an in-form Marcus Rashford, who had an off night in south London.
The draw has certainly checked United's momentum, but if title talk was always fanciful then perhaps it will be a result that does more good than harm in the long run. It was a reminder not to get carried away with the progress they've already made, as rapid as it has been.
There have been some comparisons between Ten Hag and Mikel Arteta this season. Both inherited dysfunctional squads and had to jettison high-earning egos to mould the group to their liking. But Arteta is much more advanced in developing his squad. United are still a work in progress under Ten Hag.
It was only 242 days since he sat in the stands at Selhurst Park, a cream jacket reflecting the seasonally warm weather, and watched his new club in person for the first team. His expression gave little away, perhaps aware that as the man tasked with rebuilding the most talked-about club in world football, his every twitch would make headlines.
But he must have been horrified at what he was watching unfold. United limped to a 12th defeat of the Premier League season. Their fans had to resort to celebrating Manchester City winning the league. Had West Ham not lost at Brighton, Ten Hag would have been taking charge of a club in the Europa Conference League this season.
Back then, this rebuild look like it would require a hard hat for several years. Ralf Rangnick estimated the scaffolding would be up for six years, but Ten Hag has taken barely longer than six months to make drastic improvements.
But their quality has been more obvious at Old Trafford rather than on the road. They've not yet won a Premier League away game by more than one goal and sooner or later that was going to be a problem for them.
They've had to graft at Craven Cottage, Molineux and now Selhurst Park, but having won the first two late on, they threw this one away in the dying seconds.
Ten Hag has still won 21 of his 29 games in charge and they lost the first two of those. It's been a stunning transformation, aided by an injection of character and ability in the summer transfer window. They went their separate ways from this stadium back in May looking a dishevelled, broken team. Last night they went their separate ways wearing similar expressions, but only because they believe they knew what a win could have done for them ahead of Sunday's showdown with Arsenal.
READ NEXT:
