Before Chelsea's players climbed the Wembley steps to collect their runners-up medals after the Carabao Cup final, Thomas Tuchel gathered them all together on the Wembley pitch alongside his coaching staff.
Stood arm-in-arm in a huddle, Tuchel delivered a passionate message to his squad and offered reassurance that their performance across 120 minutes against Liverpool was outstanding.
"We said we had no regrets today, that they did excellently," Tuchel revealed to Chelsea's in-house media. "I didn't want anyone to lose sleep tonight as they could not have done better.
"Of course, Mason [Mount] will be angry he didn't hit the goal. Of course, Kepa will be [sad]. Ok, I can't help, they will be sad and angry. But overall there are no regrets today. This is how you play.
"You can't predict any result but this is the kind of game we want to see. They can hear it: it was good and I was proud of them. That's what I told them."
The final was eventually settled on penalties; Kepa missed the decisive spot-kick after every outfield player had converted. Yet quite how it got to spot-kicks was down to a combination of fine goalkeeping from Edouard Mendy and Chelsea's Achilles heel rearing its head once more.
In the opening period, Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount both spurned good opportunities. And after the break, Mount missed a glorious chance after being put through by the American.
Chelsea did have the ball in the net on three occasions – twice through Kai Havertz and once via Romelu Lukaku – but every time the offside flag came to the rescue of Liverpool, who themselves had a goal chalked off by VAR.
"I have the feeling we created a bit more, were a bit more there [to win, but maybe that is also subjective," Tuchel stated. "This game could've easily gone either way. You need a bit of luck and momentum to win it.
"If you look at the line that is drawn on the [disallowed] Romelu goal, it's a bit of a weird line where it's drawn and then to make the decision that it's offside, but that's it."
There was understandable frustration and disappointment among Chelsea supporters in the aftermath of the contest at Wembley. Yet there were several big positives to take from the final in addition to the performance.
Trevoh Chalobah, who had played just eight minutes since January 3, completed the full match and stood up to the test provided by Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane. Thiago Silva showcased his class once more. Reece James returned from his two-month injury absence. Mateo Kovacic was indefatigable in midfield. Havertz sharp as Chelsea's nine. And Lukaku caused a threat after his introduction.
It is far cry from where Chelsea appeared to be just seven days ago after a turgid display against Crystal Palace. The Blues have rediscovered their verve, recaptured their attacking dynamism, and just in time for the business end of the campaign.
The Premier League title is out of reach for Chelsea; Manchester City hold a 16-point advantage over the Blues. But the FA Cup can be claimed and then there is the Champions League.
Reigning European champions, Tuchel's side have proved over the past 12 months that they can go toe-to-toe with the best clubs in two-legged affairs or one-off matches. That was emphasised once more against Liverpool.
"We're in a good way," Tuchel said. "It was a bit rough for us but since we've come back from Abu Dhabi, had a tight game against Crystal Palace, trained very well after, played a good match against Lille, trained even better after that, I feel the group growing again.
"It's good and we had proof [against Liverpool]. It was a top match."
