For Chelsea supporters, a ponder and most probably a lament as they exited Stamford Bridge into the icy winter night. Had they witnessed a glimpse of their future? Or was this simply the best they will ever see in Chelsea colours from the golden boy with the twinkling toes?
As Andreas Christensen's piercing ball dropped over the shoulder of Callum Hudson-Odoi, here came another reminder of the potential that has Bayern Munich chomping and Chelsea fretting as the transfer window enters its final week.
Hudson-Odoi controlled the ball adroitly on his instep and then swivelled inside, before wrong-footing Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Kieran Westwood with a powerful finish.
Willian scored his brace second goal and was the man of the match for Chelsea, at the heart of the best of their attacking game
Williams celebrate
Callum Hudson-Odoi leapt in the air in celebration after scoring a superb goal to double Chelsea's lead
For the 18-year-old, this was a rewarding end to a stressful weekend. On Saturday, he personally handed a transfer request to the club's director Marina Granovskaia and he is determined to force his way out of the club and into Bayern arms by the end of this week.
Indeed, some close to Hudson-Odoi even felt he would have preferred to be left out for this fixture, such was his anxiety over the reception he may receive from the home crowd.
Yet Maurizio Sarri and Chelsea enacted a power play, starting him from the off and the reception was positive. Yet perhaps the speculation impeded Hudson-Odoi a little for the first hour, with his contribution minimal and only a few flicks and tricks to relish.
When he came to life, Chelsea needed his inspiration to add to Willian's first-half penalty and kill the tie as a contest.
'Hudson-Odoi, we want you to stay,' came the chant from the Chelsea terraces. As things stand on Sunday night, the teenager, who last year won the U17 World Cup with England, has eyes only for Germany.
Will this show of faith from the manager and support from the stands sway the player? Or does it merely up the asking price as Chelsea squeeze Bayern for every penny? As of Saturday night, the figures discussed were heading beyond £40m.
Hudson-Odoi's contribution outdid that of debutant Gonzalo Higuain, who ran hard but found chances hard to come by on his first start since arriving on loan from Juventus.
Chelsea were dominant in possession, as they always are, but for long periods lacked sharpness and speed in the final third. Higuain found himself a little isolated, much like Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud previously, too often coming deep in search of the ball and short of clear goalscoring opportunities.
Odoi controlled the ball in the area before flicking it back inside and wrong-footing the defender and shooting
Hudson-Odoi's shot evaded the defenders and had too much power for Kieran Westwood to keep out in goal
Cesar Azpilicueta (left) won the penalty and Willian dispatched it with aplomb to give Chelsea the lead at Stamford Bridge
He came closest in the first period, collecting a low threaded pass by Matteo Kovacic before seeing his effort well blocked by a defender.
Ultimately, this was a relaxing evening for Chelsea after a weekend of trauma for Premier League sides against lower league opponents.
Fleetingly, it appeared we may have another shock on the cards. Certainly, Sheffield Wednesday's 6,000 strong band of travelling fans sensed opportunity when Joel Pelupessy galloped into the penalty area at pace and Chelsea youngster Ethan Ampadu stretched out a leg and appeared to bring down the Sheffield Wednesday midfielder. This was the view of referee Andre Marriner, who instantly pointed for a penalty.
Yet he was soon crowded by Chelsea players and the crowd chanted 'VAR! VAR'. And for the boffins at the VAR Centre at Stockley Park, the magic of the Cup is not the priority.
Marriner relented and the replays showed that Ampadu in fact took the ball before being kicked by his opponent. The decision was overturned and from the drop-ball restart, Chelsea were swiftly on the attack.
The ball found Cesar Azpilicueta in the penalty area and the former Chelsea player Sam Hutchinson took a wild swipe at the Spaniard and Chelsea now had a penalty of their own. There were no qualms over this one and Willian dispatched to put Chelsea ahead.
The Brazilian slotted his penalty with a fine strike and sent the goalkeeper Keiren Westwood the wrong way
Willian celebrated with his Chelsea team-mates as Wednesday fans pelted him with random missiles
Higuain wanted to take the penalty and score on debut but he accepted Willian had priority over him
Sheffield Wednesday will, however, be perplexed by the inconsistency of the competition, where video replays are only in action at Premier League grounds.
As such, if this fixture had been played at Hillsborough, Wednesday's penalty would have stood. It left Everton aghast at Millwall on Saturday night when the referee failed to spot a handball for their second equaliser and here, it was the Championship side who came unstuck. In future years, there must, surely be the same rules for every tie each round of the competition.
Once behind, Wednesday hung in the contest but rarely carved opportunities. As their incoming manager Steve Bruce took in the cricket in the Caribbean, caretaker Steve Agnew took charge and his side were well organised.
They limited Chelsea's chances early on. Ampadu blazed wide from thirty yards and Willian struck wide before Chelsea took the lead.
Sarri made eight changes from the side that defeated Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final and Eden Hazard was left out of the squad altogether ahead of the midweek visit to Bournemouth.
The risk was vindicated, and the scoreline only became more handsome when Willian exchanged passes with substitute Olivier Giroud, before the Brazilian swept in a glorious third.
New signing Gonzalo Higuain made his first start for Chelsea and was full of running in the first half
MATCH FACTS:
Chelsea (4-3-3):
Caballero 6; Azpilicueta 6.5, Rudiger 6, Christensen 7, Alonso 6; Kovacic 6, Ampadu 6 (Loftus-Cheek 65, 6), Barkley 6.5 (Jorginho 84); Hudson-Odoi 7, Higuain 5.5, Willian 8
Subs not used: Arrizabalaga, Pedro, Luiz, Emerson
Booked:
Goal: Willian (26, 83), Hudson-Odoi 64
Manager: Maurizio Sarri 7
Sheffield Wednesday (4-5-1):
Westwood 6; Palmer 6, Lees 6, Thorniley 6, Fox 6; Reach 6, Pelupessy 6 (Forestieri 69, 5.5), Hutchinson 5.5, Banaan 6, Boyd 6 (Nuhiu 75, 6); Fletcher 5.5 (Joao 76)
Subs not used: Matias, Baker, Dawson, Pudil
Booked: Fox
Manager: Steve Agnew 6
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