Paul Clement was able to offer little more than blind hope and optimism as Swansea City slipped quietly out of the Carabao Cup.
Some clubs are inspired by hosting Manchester United and their endeavour to make a mockery of odds stacked against them whips their own support into a frenzy. Huddersfield come to mind.
But the Swans bowed out after a listless 2-0 defeat on Tuesday night at a subdued Liberty Stadium, with a sense of at best resignation and at worst relief that the ordeal was not as painful as it might have been.
The defeat is the club’s fourth loss in five games across all competitions. They have dropped to 15th in the Premier League, level on points with three teams lying below them but out of the relegation zone on goal difference.
The squad showed impressive home form under Clement last season but they have now lost five of their six matches on their own patch this campaign and the manager was only able to muster a sense that it was a marginal improvement on the 2-1 weekend defeat to Leicester City.
He said: “We just have to believe that a good result and a good performance are around the corner. The performance was slightly better today but the result did not follow.
“We have got to show perseverance and determination to keep going through this difficult time we are having.”
Swansea’s quest to regain form begins at Arsenal in the league on Saturday. Clement’s team failed to beat the north London side in both games last season.
Their task is likely to be hampered by the loss of Martin Olsson after the full-back went off with a hamstring injury.
Of Tuesday’s game, Clement added: “It’s always going to be difficult when you are playing Manchester United – they have a really good 11 and quality on the bench.
“But we would have liked it to be tighter for longer. At 1-0 at half-time, we felt we could come back in the second half, but after the second goal they were in total control.”
As for Olsson’s availability for the Arsenal game, Clement added: “We won’t know until the morning – I have not had a conversation with him or the medical team.
“If he’s not okay for the weekend, we have the option of playing Naughton there or Clucas can fit in that position.”
Swans veteran defender Angel Rangel had a rare start but confessed: “I think their overall quality was above everything tonight.
“Most of tonight’s team hasn’t played much this season and we tried our best but we came up against a team that had more quality on the night.
“The dream is over for another year. Now we focus on the league and try to get something from Saturday’s game at Arsenal.”