Mick McCarthy's mood would have been given a much-needed boost after the impressive display put on by his Sheffield United trio who helped take Premier League leaders Liverpool to the brink last Saturday.
Last week was a bad one for the Republic of Ireland boss who saw the heart of his defence ripped out, with Shane Duffy and Richard Keogh both suffering long-term injuries.
One of their replacements, John Egan, along with Enda Stevens and Callum Robinson performed very well against the European champions whose manager Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for the Blades.
"Very impressed to be honest, very impressed," said Klopp of United, after his side's narrow 1-0 win. "The way they play, the way they fight.
"I was manager of Mainz and when any team came to Mainz, whatever they did, no team could stop us enjoying the ride."
The Reds goal was fortunate for them but not so for Sheffield United goalkeeper Dean Henderson who let Georginio Wijnaldum's shot from outside the box slip through his arms and legs.
Immediately after the away supporters' celebrations started to subside, the home supporters rallied and chants of 'DEANO, DEANO' echoed around the Lane.
"We [Liverpool] went 1-0 up and the stadium was there. That's really good. They have a proper basis to be a really uncomfortable opponent and especially here.
"They have really good set-pieces that makes life really uncomfortable, even good around throw-ins. So many good little things which give them plenty of chances to win a football game."
From an Irish perspective, it was heartening to see Egan go toe-to-toe with European football's most lethal attacking trio and former Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr expects to see the Cork native come into the team for the Euro 2020 qualfiers against Switzerland and Georgia.
Stevens and Robinson linked up very well on the left side, helping to put the Reds defence under pressure and Kerr was particularly impressed with the former.
"Stevens was really good as he has been since the start of the season, up and down that left flank and very composed in possession. Brave going on the inside, prepared to get in there, a bit like [Matt] Doherty plays for Wolves on the other side, prepared to get into the box.
"He's done very, very well. He's a much improved player. It's unfortunate that he won't be available for the next match."
Doherty could be the player to come in for the suspended Stevens, who will be available for the Switzerland game in Geneva three games after the Georgia match, and it was also a boost for the Irish coaching staff to see the Dubliner notch his first goal of the season for Wolves as they beat Watford.
Sheffield United's fourth Irish international, David McGoldrick, missed a second game with a hamstring injury which will be a big concern for McCarthy.
Interestingly, the Irish boss was at the Valley on Saturday to watch the ever-impressive Josh Cullen help high-flying Charlton Athletic to a 1-0 Championship victory against Leeds United.
McCarthy is due to name his squad for the next round of Euro 2020 qualifiers in Dublin tomorrow at lunchtime.
