Luke Shaw was Manchester United's best player when they beat Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final. He was their best player for 95 minutes again last night as well. Not that he'll care.
Despite another impressive display as a makeshift centre-back in which he hardly put a foot wrong, his performance will always be remembered for his trailing hand.
It would have been understandable had Shaw hid in his shell at full-time and left the Amex Stadium with his head hanging low, covered by a hood that shielded him from the unavoidable scrutiny. Instead, he can still hold his head high, facing up to his decisive influence on the result.
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"I lost us a point in the end," he confessed at full-time. He was right that he, quite literally, handed Brighton the three points, but he was not the only United player who made costly mistakes on another frustrating evening.
Shaw showed huge character to stand up after the match and own his error, but many of his teammates will serve their punishment with a social media silence until the West Ham match instead.
"I know the problem and we know the problem," Shaw added. "The problem is that we don't score." He is right again.
His error was so costly because United had been so wasteful beforehand, spurring an abundance of opportunities to score that could have drastically altered the outcome of the match.
It has been a tedious, repetitive theme throughout the season. It's one that has no immediate short-term solution and needs addressing through the arrival of an elite striker this summer.
Until then, United are going to have to dig deep. Rather than apologising after matches, they will have to do their talking on the pitch instead and stand up to be counted when it matters most.
Of all the disappointing matches against the top sides this season, this one hurt the most. They weren't outclassed, they weren't outplayed. They gave it a go and should have got something from the game. They didn't, though.
The true gauge of this United side will come in how they respond to such a setback, and even in his lowest moments, Shaw has shown exactly why he has to be a part of this project going forward.
Erik ten Hag wants players who will take responsibility for their mistakes and confront their setbacks, rather than wilting under pressure and looking to hide away from the reality of their failure.
It was clear to see the obvious pain and hurt on Shaw's face at full-time, even when he wasn't faced by TV cameras. His emotion and passion are by no means those of some media personality curated to curry favor; they are those of a young man who desperately wants United to win.
And thanks to his commitment and quality, he will get the chance to do that again. As long as Lisandro Martinez is sidelined, he remains the leading candidate to fill in at centre-back and deserves to keep his place against West Ham this weekend.
You learn a lot more about players from how they respond in the wake of defeat than from the elation of a win, and Ten Hag will have gained even more insight into the mentality of his side on Thursday night.
The defeat to Brighton didn't show why Shaw was a liability to this United side; it actually showed just how important he really is.
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