There was hope in the pre-amble to Wednesday night's game with Arsenal that the arrival of a wounded opponent to Stamford Bridge could reignite something in Romelu Lukaku.
Similar to how Timo Werner used his favourite opponent in Southampton to rediscover form and confidence, Thomas Tuchel's decision to hand the Belgian his first league start since the seven-touch display at Selhurst Park was a massive opportunity. Instead of Wednesday becoming a return to form for Lukaku, it was a great marker of how things have gone wrong since that dominant debut at The Emirates eight months ago.
By the time Lukaku was subbed off with 60 minutes gone, he sprinted off to a chorus of boos from sections of the home crowd. To then be followed by his replacement, Kai Havertz, getting an ironically loud cheer. It felt like a fatal full stop to a return that was never supposed to end this way.
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Tuchel had promised in a pre-match interview with Sky Sports to "never give up" on any player. Something that has been fully vindicated by the resurgence of Werner, a player who seems to be growing in confidence with every minute he plays.
But as I trudged home despondently from Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, it is hard to see how the Lukaku situation benefits anyone.
The mood around Lukaku since that misjudged Sky Italia interview has been toxic. There is really no other way to describe it. He had become the villain, and in the months following, it felt like he has become a figure to pass the blame to on a variety of matters.
Suppose you wanted a perfect demonstration of how poorly Lukaku is viewed from sections of supporters sitting around me when Emile Smith-Rowe carved a right-footed shot into the corner of Edouard Mendy's net to regain Arsenal's lead. In that case, many were shouting at Lukaku as the main culprit.
Earlier in the move, some indecision from Arsenal's own defenders inside their own box had opened up an opportunity for Lukkau to pounce and potentially slot into an empty net. On replay, the moment was only passing, and Granit Xhaka did well to make up for a bad touch and get out of danger, starting a counter-attack as the Swiss midfielder broke forward. However, this symbolises how non-existent the margin for error is for Lukaku now.
Instead of focusing on the fact that when Xhaka did progress the ball forward, Chelsea's complete lack of structure in midfield or the poor displays of Andreas Christensen and Malang Sarr to prevent any further danger, it was Lukaku who would be signalled out for blame.
As much as it would probably anger people even to suggest, Chelsea, in the end, looked like a more dangerous attacking threat with the maligned striker on the pitch than when he left it with just over an hour gone. However, most of that credit will look towards both Werner and Mason Mount, who provided most of the inspiration for what turned out to be a forgetful night.
It is hard to see how this atmosphere helps Lukaku, his teammates, Tuchel or just the mood around Stamford Bridge? This is not passing the blame. Lukaku's interview sparked fury, and his poor displays since have only helped fuel speculation of his unhappiness at the club. Again on Wednesday night, we saw similar echoes of previous games, Lukaku making positive runs, opening himself up for a pass to find them completely ignored.
When you compare that lack of understanding to the growing form and confidence of Havertz, it is hard to really justify Tuchel sticking with the Lukaku saviour project when his lack of pressing does hamper the team's intensity and approach. And the player himself is showing few signs of someone going above and beyond to overcome the negative perception of him.
It was only eight days before the collapse to Arsenal that the Blues were putting in one of their best attacking displays at the Bernabeu, a night without Lukaku and a night where, even in defeat, there appeared a very bright future for this squad under Tuchel.
With Lukaku and his teammates underperforming to such an extent against Arsenal, how can things drastically get better for the striker before the summer transfer window? Where the only amicable solution will be an exit to one of Europe's other richest clubs. If that is even possible.
The moment a player is getting booed by their own crowd, it feels like a tipping point, one that has spilt over from mere frustration into discontent and hostility. The sort of mood that we have not seen shades of at Stamford Bridge since the divisive year under Maurizio Sarri. And few supporters will want to see a continuation of that atmosphere in the final weeks of a challenging campaign.
