It is 11:00 PM on 11 October 2022 in Milan, Italy.
Graham Potter's Chelsea have just beaten AC Milan - their toughest group opponent and current Serie A Champions - 2-0 at San Siro, and now look set to qualify for the Round of 16, despite not winning either of their two opening group games.
The Blues have won their fourth game in a row, and remain unbeaten in the new head coach's first five matches in charge, conceding just two goals in that time, whilst sitting in fourth place in the Premier League.
Deadline Day signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored for three games in a row, and another summer arrival in the form of Raheem Sterling has six goal contributions in his first 11 games for the club.
Fan anger over the sudden dismissal of Thomas Tuchel assuaged, Potter brought his players over to the section of the stadium where the travelling Chelsea contingent were lauding their team.
Fast forward a little over four months and the same Potter is walking off the Stamford Bridge pitch to loud boos from the home crowd after his team have just lost to bottom-of-the-table Southampton, making it only two wins from 15.
It is a remarkable twist of fortunes, and it has now led to calls from many for the Englishman to be relieved of his duties, as the west Londoners continue to slip down the table.
They sit in 10th place, and Potter now has the unenviable task of attempting to cajole his players ahead of a trip to North London to face Tottenham Hotspur in what is always a feisty encounter.
Constant comparisons to the previous head coach in Tuchel are often misconstrued or unfair, but the contrast between the passion the German showed when facing Antonio Conte at full time in the return fixture back in August is unlikely to be matched by Potter next weekend.
That in and of itself is by no means a problem - some would argue Tuchel's hot-headedness cost him his job in the end - but for a fanbase desperate not just for a win but even a goal, the sight of a manager with his arms crossed on the touchline for 90 minutes will not inspire confidence.
Reports suggest that the ownership are in for the long haul when it comes to Potter. Despite the dreadful form, it is not hard to understand why.
A third manager in less than a year would be comical, and there is no evidence to suggest any potential replacement would do a better job. And besides, with so little to play for beyond the Champions League, is there any point causing further disruption this campaign?
Split with supporters
Debate will continue over such questions, but the undeniable fact is that whether the board back him or not, Graham Potter is becoming increasingly unpopular with supporters, and the pattern at Chelsea when such a situation occurs is not a positive one.
After winning the league in his first season in England, Antonio Conte was turned on by February of the following year, with a particular humiliating 4-1 defeat to Watford being something of a turning point. He was gone just a few months later.
Maurizio Sarri had even less time - again, it was around February that during an EFL Cup game against Manchester United the home crowd expressed their severe dislike for his so-called 'Sarriball' system. The Italian would depart the club even after finishing with a Europa League victory, the relationship with the fanbase unfixable.
And now Potter finds himself in an eerily similar scenario, with even less time elapsed since he took over. A brief walk around Stamford Bridge at full time would not have yielded many positive descriptions of the former Brighton manager.
Regardless of whether supporters are 'justified' in their opinions (and the concept that they should not be allowed their own views is a strange one anyway), if the manager is unpopular, it is extremely difficult to find a way back.
Even Thomas Tuchel, who became something of a god after he led the club to European glory, may well have received a frosty reception at first if fans had been in stadiums, given the popularity of the man who preceded him.
Owners regularly try to maintain confidence in head coaches even during tough times - after all, they appointed them in the first place. But once supporters have had enough, they almost always get their way.
It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Chelsea's season could still be considered a success. Domestic cup competitions are not in the picture, but there is still an outside chance, however slim, that European football could be achieved next season.
Even if there is something of a miracle in the league though, there is a sense that that would not be enough to temper the rising anger being directed towards Potter.
Realistically, there is only one way he will get fans back on side, and to even suggest it given the way his team are currently playing seems mad: they need to win the Champions League.
Perhaps the strangest thing about Chelsea is that, even with the context of the current situation, doing so does not feel impossible, in fact far from it.
They appear to thrive on the continent when things go awry back home - their two Champions League triumphs came in seasons when they either did not finish in the top four or snuck in by the skin of their teeth.
And so, if Potter does want to continue in charge then, irrespective of the backing he may feel he is receiving from those above him, the game which will now decide his future is in a little over a fortnight's time.
Losing the first leg in Germany will not help their chances, but on Tuesday 7 March, Chelsea must find the form they were playing with at San Siro, and replicate it against Borussia Dortmund.
It is no easy task, and the chances are even if they do make it through they will drop out of the competition later on. But Graham Potter must now take Chelsea all the way.
Anything less will cost him his job.