Swansea City went down to 1-0 defeat at the hands of Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on Saturday.
There was plenty to dissect from the encounter, including a chaotic touchline brawl involving both dugouts that ultimately saw Russell Martin sent off.
Here are some of the other key talking points to emerge on what was ultimately another disappointing day for Martin and his Swans.
Read more: Swansea City defeat at Luton ends in chaos as Russell Martin sent off and escorted from pitch
Lack of quality in final third laid bare
Saturday was a strange game in some ways. Another defeat, another Joe Allen injury, and their manager sent off from the touchlines.
On the face of it, days don't get much worse.
But the curious thing was, Swansea did actually play quite well at times, particularly in the second half.
After struggling to lay a glove on the hosts for nearly the entire first 45 minutes, Swansea were fare more assured in possession after the break. Those in midfield were more confident on the ball, and the attacking squadron were far better at getting themselves into good positions.
Those will likely be clung to as positives by Martin, but the paradox here is that the more Swansea tried to get on the front foot, the more it highlighted the lack of real quality in certain key areas.
Too often the final ball was poor. Too often moves broke down due to a lapse in concentration or a lack of composure. Joel Piroe worked hard up front, but was often chasing shadows for much of the game, frequently feeding off scraps.
As a result, Ethan Horvath didn't have an awful lot to do in the Luton Town goal, barring a stop from substitute Morgan Whittaker.
Martin has previously alluded to how much his side have missed the likes of Cyrus Christie and Hannes Wolf this season and the aggression they bring to the final third. The lack of bite was certainly there for all to see at Kenilworth Road.
No one can fault the levels of effort. Indeed, even the confidence of this team looks far beyond where it should be after this sort of run.
But individual errors and shortcomings are continuing to cost them. The most prominent case in point being Andy Fisher's fumble for the decisive goal.
Martin will likely to continue to take most of the flak, and indeed he has to take responsibility for this poor run. It comes with the territory as a manager.
But Saturday really demonstrated that some of these players just aren't quite at the levels needed at the moment.
Optics of brawl don't look good for Martin
It's perhaps an understatement to say Martin lost his cool a little at the end of this encounter. The brawl that broke out on the touchline between the two dugouts even appeared to take a few of the players on the field by surprise.
Martin and Rob Edwards played it down after, and there's no reason not to doubt claims they managed to patch things up afterwards.
But when you're under pressure, the optics around these sorts of incidents are never ideal. Indeed, one member of the media asked if the incident was a sign that the pressure was getting to him.
Those allegations were batted away by the Swans boss, although but it's a theory that will clearly have some traction in some quarters.
And, while he downplayed the significance of the brawl, Martin admitted there was one decision that left him fuming.
Liam Cullen thought he'd tucked away an equaliser after coming off the bench in the second half, only to be denied by the offside flag. Replays showed it was a tight call, although Martin was clearly in no doubt that the goal should have stood.
Commenting on his side's improvement in the second half, he said: “I loved the mentality of the players with and without the ball, although we probably did not create enough clear chances with that.
“But we scored a good goal, which was not offside which is frustrating, in fact it’s very frustrating.
“So, I can accept defeat if we show that togetherness, energy and willingness to play on a difficult pitch.
“We need more of that, but we are disappointed for the players and the supporters."
Allen injured again
The absence of Matt Grimes was clearly a blow. Indeed, one can't help but wonder if his presence in the middle might have given the Swans more authority in this contest.
In came Joe Allen to take the armband, but his outing was to be cut short just before half-time with a suspected muscle injury.
It's a situation that will come as a concern to Martin, who doesn't have many other senior heads to call upon right now as it is.
There might also be some concerns for Allen himself, who just hasn't quite managed to get going in this second spell at SA1. His recent injury record has undoubtedly been a factor in those struggles.
“We hope it is not too bad,” Martin said. “It is really frustrating, we lost Matt Grimes before the game and then Joe just before half-time, two of the leaders in our group.
“It is tough for us, but hopefully Joe will not be out for too long and Grimesy will be back for next week at this rate.
“But I am proud of the lads that stepped up. Ben Cabango was a real leader, Nathan Wood was incredible and Joel Latibeaudiere was top. Jay Fulton continued to do what he has done this season and Joel Piroe grew into the game.
“We have a lot to be positive about. Joe is a concern but we hope it is not too bad.
"Joe feels he has caught it just before it was too bad, so hopefully that will be the case."
Paterson keen to make an impact
It seems we might well have a sequel to the Jamie Paterson Redemption.
After looking nailed on to depart in January amid questions over his commitment and attitude, the 31-year-old was included in the matchday squad for the first time in nearly four months.
The reaction from fans, perhaps understandably, was a little mixed. Some felt it was a decision coming from a place of desperation. Others started fantasising about him wheeling away having scored a dramatic winner against the Hatters.
In the end, the reality was a bit of an anti-climax. There were a couple of tidy touches, but it was ultimately a pretty quiet cameo given its potential significance.
There's clearly some baggage attached to Paterson. After all, this is the second time he's been involved in this sort of stand-off.
But there's no denying that at his best, he has a level of ability that would undeniably benefit this team.
"It's obviously never easy being out of the squad. I've just had to work hard and stay positive and help the group in different ways, which I think I have done," Paterson said afterwards.
"I'm just happy to be back out there and I just want to try and keep my place in the squad and do as much as I can for the rest of the season.
"Every footballer wants to be on the pitch so it's been a difficult time not being involved but it happens to every footballer, you just have to stay positive and the lads were doing well at that time.
"I just want to come back in and do what I can do to help the team on and off the pitch, and just get back to enjoying playing football because that's what we all love to do."
The unease around his return is certainly justified. One can't blame some sections of the Swansea fan base for being a little suspicious, and those feelings won't dissipate overnight.
If Paterson's going to get his doubters back on side, he needs to rediscover some semblance of the form we saw from him last season.
Should he be successful, past grievances might well, once again, be put to one side.
READ NEXT
Russell Martin defends actions and reveals what happened amid red card chaos
Swansea City player ratings on another troubling day at the office
Swansea City defeat at Luton ends in chaos as Russell Martin sent off and escorted from pitch
Jamie Paterson poised for shock return to Swansea City squad for Luton Town clash
