This weekend's FA Cup clash between Manchester United and Fulham may well bring back painful memories for the London side and their former star Aleksandar Mitrovic.
United had claimed a last-gasp win over Marco Silva's side in the final Premier League match before the 2022 World Cup, with Alejandro Garnacho delivering the fatal blow. Fulham were given a chance for redemption in the new year, though, after being handed a March trip to Old Trafford in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Early in the second half, it looked as though Silva's men would take full advantage. Issa Diop got a touch on Andreas Pereira's corner and Mitrovic pounced on the loose ball to fire beyond David de Gea.
De Gea produced a big save to prevent Mitrovic adding a second, but the game turned on a penalty incident 15 minutes from time. Fulham winger Willian was sent off after VAR found he had handled a Jadon Sancho effort on the line, but things got worse from their on out.
As referee Chris Kavanagh watched the incident back on the pitchside monitor, Fulham boss Silva got in trouble for something he said to the official. Silva was sent off, with Willian also seeing red for his handball.
Mitrovic then took things further, laying into Kavanagh and earning a red card of his own. After the dust settled, Bruno Fernandes stroked home an equaliser from the penalty spot before Marcel Sabitzer touched in a second for United and Fernandes added a late third.
Fulham's top scorer Mitrovic was hit with a huge eight-match ban and a hefty fine. Worse still, The Star reported that the Serbia international had been on United's radar ahead of the game - with Erik ten Hag's side in the market for a summer signing - only to essentially rule himself out with his antics during the cup tie.
"On a personal level, I regret my actions that led to me being sent off," Mitrovic said in a statement after his red card but before his initial three-game ban was extended. "I allowed my frustration to get the better of me, and how I reacted was wrong.
"I was trying to get the referee's attention, but I appreciate that I should not have put my hands on him and I understand why he showed me a red card, my first in-game sending off for Fulham and my first since the 2015-16 season.
"I have accepted the three-match ban for my red card, I have spoken to Chris Kavanagh to apologise, and I have volunteered to accept a club fine. I now want to do what I can to put this incident behind me and get back to helping my teammates on the pitch as soon as possible."
Mitrovic returned from his ban for in May, scoring three more goals to bring his tally for the season up to 15. He had been linked with a number of European big-hitters during the season, but instead ended up joining Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.
The move paid off for the former Anderlecht and Newcastle star, who fired Al-Hilal to the title with 28 league goals. He has 12 goals in 13 appearances this term, and 20 in all competitions, but has missed a number of weeks through injury and watched his team-mates lose ground to Al-Ittihad in the title race.
United would end up spending their striker budget on Rasmus Hojlund in the summer of 2023, before adding Joshua Zirkzee 11 months later, but neither has set the world alight. One wonders how different things might be if Mitrovic hadn't done what he did on that afternoon in March 2023.
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