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.
'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.
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.
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.