A shambling, insincere, lap of appreciation completed, the Manchester United players opened negotiations.
Paul Pogba took the direct approach, speaking to fans as he left the field. That didn't end well.
Alexis Sanchez, meanwhile, went straight to the modern footballer's place of refuge in times of crisis. He posted on Instagram.
After Manchester United lost to relegated Cardiff, Alexis Sanchez apologised on Instagram
'The fans are the ones who deserve an apology as they always support you no matter what happens,' wrote Sanchez.
'Personally, I didn't perform as much as I was expecting because of unpredictable injuries. Press and people were speculating of things that were not even true. I was always a professional in all aspects. I apologise to the fans for not be able to achieve our goals. Nevertheless, we are Manchester United!'
On it went, about the club returning to the glory days, about the tough season just passed.
'Players and staff are questioning if we were doing the right thing and if we were giving our best for this football shirt,' Sanchez added, as if commenting remotely, as if the desire of a player to try his hardest is not totally within the control of that individual.
It is all too easy now. It is all too pat. The excuses are in before the last man is out of the shower. Players like social media, they say, because it gives them the chance to talk to the fans directly, without the media and its agenda getting in the way - but players have an agenda, too.
Paul Pogba is a master on social media and is a frequent poster before and after matches
What is more apparent than ever is that some dressing rooms contain spin doctors who would not be out of place in Westminster. What follows the match is the seizing of the narrative. Get the apology in before the reviews are out. Get the crowd on your side.
Sanchez couldn't even make a United team that lost 2-0 at home to relegated Cardiff. If reports are correct, his club are ready to subsidise £12million of his wages just to be rid of him. Yet here he is, managing news in a way he couldn't manage matches.
Pogba is a smart operator, too. Manchester United talk about their players in terms of social media followings and hits, so it is no wonder they exploit the medium.
Performances reduce in importance. It's no longer how you play, but how you sell it in the aftermath.
Time was, there was only one way to avenge a lousy result, or a sub-standard individual showing. Do better next match. Play poorly on Saturday and there could be a week to stew and work on improvement.
In that period, there was no way of influencing your standing. A player had to go out and show them; prove himself again. What took place on the field was truly all that mattered.
Jose Mourinho is right to say United's problems are far bigger than just the influence of Pogba
Not so now. First, there is the post-match apology. The one that claims to take responsibility, but doesn't really, because it talks about events as if they were observed, third-person.
Then, a few days later, there might be the narrative-changing image builder. An amusing clip from the dressing-room, a fitness regime revealed, a trick with the ball, a prank on a team-mate. The memory of that last match is cleverly erased.
Instead we are invited to think how hard an individual is working, how skilful he could be - if only the manager let him off the leash - or what a fun guy he is. Down to earth, likes a laugh - just like us, really. He's not a bad lad after all.
Suddenly, it's no longer about the next 90 minutes, it's 30 seconds on video, 140 characters, a picture caption. Posting it is so much less exhausting and pressured than waiting for the next game and putting on a show.
Jose Mourinho is right when he says Manchester United's shortcomings are not just about Pogba - but the modern social media star has helped create a culture that affords a free pass in exchange for a few glib sentences.
'I'm certain that United one day will return to be the club, as it was in the old days with Mr Alex Ferguson,' wrote Sanchez.
It won't, though. United might be successful again, but it will be on different terms. The days of no excuses? Gone. Game management is now what happens after the final whistle.
Tottenham's title push just doesn't add up
Those who hope Tottenham can be turned into title contenders next season will be encouraged, no doubt, by the ground made up by Liverpool across one summer.
Liverpool finished 25 points shy of Manchester City in 2017-18, and one point short a year later. So it still wasn't enough - but it shows what can be done.
Liverpool, however, had a clearly mapped path. Just by turning draws with West Brom - home and away - Burnley, Everton, Stoke, Watford and Newcastle (or their promoted equivalents) into wins, they could claw back 14 points. They had also lost at relegated Swansea. So 17 points were available from matches with the lower lights.
Tottenham need one of the greatest improvements in the history of football to go for the title
Tottenham's upgrade is rather different. They need to make up 28 points to overtake Manchester City and need to convert losses, not draws, to wins. Not against the mugs, either.
Spurs lost to every team in the top seven and all bar two - Everton and Leicester - in the top 11. Upgrade the final-day draw with Everton to a home win and Tottenham still need 26 points. Meaning they must convert nine defeats into wins.
Even if we presume victory over Watford, Wolves, Burnley, West Ham and Bournemouth, that still leaves Tottenham needing to win against four of five elite clubs. Their mission is far greater than Liverpool's.
It would need one of the greatest improvements in the history of football and no doubt, as incredible as their Champions League run has been, Mauricio Pochettino knows that, too.
Black managers can be fired too
The dismissals of Chris Hughton and Darren Moore were two of the harshest of the season. Neither were sacked, however, for being black.
Indeed Moore's club, West Brom, are still in the market for a manager and one of the names at the top of their list is Hughton.
So, while Troy Townsend, head of development at Kick It Out, was understandably concerned at two high-profile black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) managers losing their jobs, his reaction
