On a grander, more important occasion, it would have been a moment made for Hollywood production values.
A pass arching under the floodlit sky, the young hopeful waiting free beneath its path. Ahead of him, just the right amount of space between his nearest opponent to elongate the drama with tension-inducing slow-motion and/or different perspectives, a destiny-shaping end result.
In the less prestigious but still dramatic setting of an EFL Cup fourth-round match at Anfield, Erik Lamela's cross-field switch for debutant Shayon Harrison was just a little off course for such movie magic. The 19-year-old met the ball a split-second too quick as it fell, resulting in a heavier-than-wanted touch that the grateful Simon Mignolet swept up.
Tottenham Hotspur's golden chance to draw level away at Liverpool went with it. In the battle of youngsters and players with points to prove, Jurgen Klopp's men/boys went on to win, 2-1.
Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino's reaction to Harrison's missed chance changed quickly from frustration to understanding.
This is a coach who understands nuance. Last week, he rightly dismissed a journalist's suggestion that Dele Alli's missed header against Bayer Leverkusen was a bad one.
"The situation was difficult in that moment because when he connected with the ball, he was not in a good balance in his body," Pochettino explained. Similarly to Harrison, Alli's slight misjudgement in the timing of his approach in meeting Kieran Trippier's cross meant that the initial angle rather than the technique of his finish sent the header wide.
In a performance against Liverpool that veered between first-half hesitation and a more assured, confident post-interval effort, it is in the nuances that Pochettino will take encouragement. His players were not great throughout, but there were examples of work bad and good that they can utilise going forward.
With the starting XI he selected, using the match as an experience and form-gaining tool was high on the Argentinian's agenda.
Harrison joined centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers and attacking midfielder Josh Onomah as Tottenham's third teenager on the pitch. Harry Winks, 20, was given his latest opportunity to continue his development, while Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, 21, made his first start since being signed from Marseille.
For others like goalscorer Vincent Janssen, midfielder Tom Carroll and defenders Trippier and Kevin Wimmer, it was, for different reasons, a chance to show or reiterate what they can offer.
"We are in a different process to Liverpool, a different project and we need to feel pleased for all the players—players that don't play too much and are not regular choices in the Premier League or in the Champions League," Pochettino told Tottenham's official website afterward, though Liverpool did field a more youthful side than might have been expected, given the more senior-tinged teams selected in the previous rounds.
Though naturally disappointed by the result—Daniel Sturridge's brace either side of half-time secured the victory for Liverpool—the Argentinian took consolation in a hoped-for long-term gain, stating "the experience today was very important." He went on:
All the players (took their chance) for different reasons. We have young players that are from England, youngsters that have come from outside of England and it was important today to play. Playing at Anfield is always very difficult but I think it was a great experience to push our level, to improve a lot and learn from the game. It will improve our squad for the future.
There were plenty of lessons to be learned all over.
In hindsight, Pochettino might have included another senior player.
Michel Vorm made some brilliant saves to keep Spurs in the game, and using Eric Dier to add some steel to midfield made sense. But the young attack lacked direction and urgency, their timidity even more pronounced than the first team's against Bournemouth the previous weekend.
Like he did throughout in the defeat of Gillingham in the preceding round, Lamela knitted things together upon his introduction just after the hour mark. His greater adventurousness dribbling and getting into the Liverpool box notably won the penalty from which Janssen scored, and he might have got another following a tussle with Alberto Moreno.
Prior to then, the attacking-midfield pivot Carroll had difficulty establishing such cohesion.
Making just his second appearance of the season, the 24-year-old was unlucky not to be playing in something closer to the 4-1-4-1 formation deployed recently. With a more direct-minded team-mate alongside him centrally, he would have had the occupying counterpoint for his short passes to achieve greater penetration of the Liverpool lines.
As it was, Carroll struggled to make his presence tell in the first half. When Liverpool did not hound him in anticipation of or in receiving a pass (the former Spur Kevin Stewart among the Reds looking lively here), their solid shape meant that greater guile was required than he could offer.
Carroll improved prior to his removal. Benefiting from the home side standing off more, he was able to spread play more positively as Spurs began to stretch them a little. Ultimately, though, it was not the showcase of his playmaker credentials he wanted.
It was around all this that the trio of Nkoudou, Onomah and Winks got their lessons in the challenges of imposing themselves in a competitive English football environment.
Winks played a little further back than Carroll and, with a better vantage point of those ahead, had more joy creatively. One 12th-minute pass sent Janssen forward, and Trippier was brought into play out right. However, looking centrally, either in distribution or travelling in possession, he too frequently found his intentions stunted.
Ahead of the Bournemouth game, Pochettino had once more been complimentary of a prospect he described as a "very important player for us in the future." In the present, the question had been whether he could anchor a Spurs midfield set up like the aforementioned 4-1-4-1.
Winks had Dier beside him, so this was not quite the demonstration of his manager's belief that he "is strong enough to play in that position alone." What it did show was that, while he certainly has a welcome acceleration and a sense for navigation in crowded midfield areas (something which came to the fore more as the game progressed), he will need more playing time to adjust to the intensity and rhythms of the higher level.
Something similar could be said for Nkoudou.
The costly slip that led to Sturridge's ninth-minute opener will be most people's takeaway of his performance. This was certainly unlucky, as on other occasions he intervened defensively or provided a helpful escape outlet.
But as regards his potential role in the Tottenham team, the more pertinent observations could be made further forward.
Barely playing so far this season, and not at all since a cameo versus Manchester City at the start of the month, Nkoudou looked a little rusty. His attempts to push Liverpool backward out left (like he had helpfully done late on versus CSKA Moscow) were quickly shut down, which appeared to knock his confidence to try things.
Trent Alexander-Arnold did well against him one-on-one. When Nkoudou was not directly confronted, Liverpool were well-positioned to block routes the winger would have targeted.
Nkoudou's mix of skill and speed will make him a strong weapon for Spurs eventually, one who will give them width only their full-backs provide otherwise. But barring this outing being enough for him to figure out Premier League tempo and timing, it seems he will need more carefully managed deployment. For now, using him as a potential impact option off the bench is perhaps the best way there.
At least Nkoudou saw plenty of the ball on Tuesday night. On the opposite flank, Onomah had little to work with in the opening 45 minutes.
Left to contend with long passes and implied instructions to find a way out of tight pockets from similarly unhelpful service, he was unable to get anywhere productive at all.
This was understandably frustrating for Onomah off the back of his goal against Gillingham and his recent debut strike for the England under-21s. His chance to really prove himself on a big stage looked like it was being taken away from him.
It was a reminder of just how good he has got to be to become a real attacking midfield contributor (and shows why criticism of the likes of Lamela recently should be tempered with acknowledgement of the position's challenges). It is also a credit to him that he did work his way into proceedings as the night progressed.
As noted earlier, the game did open up somewhat. Onomah also realised that he did not have to stick so much to the right side. Picking the ball up deeper or more central, his driving runs and quicker passing helped increase Spurs' second-half pressure. He was involved in the buildup play leading to the penalty Lamela won.
Making only his second senior appearance, it is still too early to get a real read on Carter-Vickers.
Again paired with the more experienced but still young Wimmer, he was part of a defence that at times struggled to contain the beguiling Sturridge-led attack.
Individually he got away with a risky but useful tug on the England striker in the box that allowed Vorm to stop a chance. He made some other timely interventions, and ultimately it should benefit him to have had this taster of facing a higher-class attack.
Despite his missed opportunity, Harrison will be pleased to have made his first senior appearance. The intelligent and versatile attacker will hope for a chance to make up for this moment soon enough.
Like with Carroll, there was not a whole lot to be gained from Davies, Trippier and Wimmer's deployment. None were awful, but they did little to suggest those ahead of them in the side will lose their spots anytime soon.
Captain for the night and back in midfield after recent centre-back appearances, Dier was not quite the protective presence he would have liked. Disappointed when he went off, the more tellingly robust work of replacement Victor Wanyama will not have done his mood any good.
Up top, Janssen was a picture of frustration at times, left to scrap for crumbs for large periods. But with another goal under his belt too, his stock will have gone up, with a typically urgent and industrious display that ensured Tottenham were not completely timid.
"Today, I think he was fantastic," Pochettino said to Spurs' website after. "But one thing is clear, that he is a player who works a lot, who is always involved, and the commitment he shows in every game and every training session is fantastic."
The similarly youthful contingent also involved at Anfield can learn from Janssen's example.
Even on tough nights like this when things do not go entirely your way, the least you can do is keep trying. Janssen is a work in progress, but there is a reason Pochettino has had no problem using him in every game this season.
Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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