Celtic got the job done against St Mirren. Just.
It was far from convincing, a narrow 1-0 win that keeps them within touching distance at the top with five games left. Much of the focus has been on the laboured display, and the growing tension around the title race.
But something else happened on Saturday that could still matter. Arne Engels returned.
The Belgian midfielder came off the bench in the second half to a warm reception from the Celtic Park crowd, and that felt significant. He is a player who has had his critics, many of them quick to mention the price tag whenever his form has dipped. That scrutiny comes with the territory at a club like Celtic.
Still, Saturday was a reminder that he has been missed.
Engels had not featured since February 11 after suffering a thigh injury, at a time when Celtic could have done with legs and energy in the middle of the park. In his absence, the midfield has often looked short of both. That was clear again for long spells against St Mirren.
The game drifted, and Celtic lacked tempo, and a real spark through the centre. Then Engels came on.
It was not a dramatic cameo, and it will not dominate the headlines, but the difference was clear. He injected energy straight away and looked to play with purpose. There was a sharpness to his game that had been missing, even if he is still working his way back to full fitness.
More importantly, he looked confident.
Returning from injury at this stage of the season is not easy, especially with the pressure rising after every result. Engels did not hide. He looked like a player eager to make up for lost time.
With five games to go, Celtic need that.
The conversation around the squad has been dominated by the lack of a reliable goalscorer, and rightly so. But games are also won and controlled in midfield, and too often in recent weeks Celtic have struggled to impose themselves there.
The Belgian brings legs and a willingness to mix it up, all of which can lift a side that has looked flat in key moments. If he can build fitness quickly, there is every chance he plays his way back into the starting XI before the season is out.
It is easy to forget he is only 22. Expectations have been high from the moment he arrived, and that has shaped the conversation around him. He has not been flawless, but the reaction at times has lacked balance.
It may not have grabbed the headlines after St Mirren, but his return is a much needed boost.
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