After securing £40million in sponsor ship from a certain logistics company, this was probably a night when Manchester United needed to deliver.
And it was the timing of the delivery that would have pleased Sir Alex Ferguson most.
*Danny Welbeck scored the opener*
The fact that on an evening when United's manager urged supporters to once again put their trust in a fresh crop of young players, those players proved their worth.
A relatively meaningless end-of-season game at Hull aside, two-and-a-half years ago, this was the youngest United team to have appeared in a Barclays Premier League encounter.
But Ferguson anticipated that there might be some concern among the Old Trafford masses and tackled the issue in his programme notes.
Conscious, clearly, that he might not land his principal transfer target of the summer in Wesley Sneijder, Ferguson urged supporters not to 'fret'.
He said he had confidence in this new generation of United players and by the end of this thoroughly entertaining encounter there was more than enough evidence to suggest that, as ever, the man knows what he is talking about.
*Ando slotted the second after a neat play*
Even if there were still periods of the first half when United could have used someone of Sneijder's considerable quality and experience.
Ferguson sent out Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and David de Gea at Old Trafford and Welbeck, in particular, repaid that trust, scoring the first goal and creating the second for Anderson before Ryan Giggs replied for the old guard by inviting Wayne Rooney to score the third.
*Rooney added a third*
That the cross for that opening goal came from Cleverley would have also pleased Ferguson, although nothing seemed to excite him more than the backheel Welbeck directed into the path of Anderson.
How fitting that on a night when United chose to mark that 19th league title with special scarves for every United supporter it was their No 19, Welbeck, who did most of the damage. Also of some encouragement was a clean sheet for De Gea.
*Match Stats*
Twice he spilled a shot and twice Jermain Defoe nearly punished him, sending one effort against a post before just failing to beat the Spaniard to the loose ball on the second occasion. For Harry Redknapp, it was all rather more disappointing.
His players gave a pretty good account of themselves for the opening 45 minutes but lost momentum as United grew in stature after the break.
Crucially, they lacked something in midfield, a central partnership of Jake Livermore and Niko Kranjcar failing to impose itself in a way Luka Modric might have done had he not been holding out for that move to Chelsea.
United were able to carve through Tottenham's midfield, with Nani planting a cross on the head of Rooney only to see his colleague direct a soft header into the hands of Brad Friedel. Friedel's selection was an interesting one.
Heurelho Gomes did little wrong at Hearts but he was on the bench, pointing to the possibility that the Brazilian has always made his manager nervous.
It was developing into an entertaining game.
Some classy football as well as some crunching challenges, with Jones - while proving himself an able understudy to the injured Rio Ferdinand - lucky not to concede a dangerous free-kick for a foul on Gareth Bale.
*19th time Champions scarves were given to the OT crowd*
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