An enforced stoppage 20 minutes into the game saw Paul Heckingbottom call over seven of his Sheffield United players to the dugouts for an impromptu tactical chat at Bramall Lane.
The Manchester City technical area was completely empty. Juanma Lillo, who had remained seated for the opening stages, didn't feel the need to do the same for his City players - leaving captains Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker to have an animated chat of their own in the centre circle, as others wandered around.
It felt uncharacteristic for City to manage themselves in such a manner, with nobody on the touchline offering any tactical tweaks.
Pep Guardiola was watching on from Barcelona as he recovered from back surgery, with Lillo promising that 'Pep is everywhere' in the build-up to the game, and that the approach would still be led by the manager even if he wasn't there personally.