LONDON -- For all the tension and fear during a week scarred by the death and devastation of the Manchester bomb attack, Saturday was a day when the UK moved forward.
A series of arrests and a lowering of the national terror threat level from critical to severe was the hard evidence of that and the FA Cup final at Wembley provided a reflection of a vigilant but calm public mood as it passed peacefully, without incident.
With regard to this week's atrocity at least, the response was respectful and genuine: a minute's silence before Arsenal vs. Chelsea was impeccably observed, both inside the stadium and in venues screening it outside. Fans cried and held aloft signs expressing their love for Manchester.
Chelsea's players may have been so focused on the game they forgot to wear their black armbands in the first half, but supporters did their bit: they arrived at Wembley early as requested, and patiently endured the queues caused by additional security checks at entrances.
More than 89,000 fans filled the stadium almost to capacity, too, and the Metropolitan Police said only seven arrests were made related to the game; they were for a range of offences from ticket touting to drugs possession and actual bodily harm.
The match, which ended 2-1 to Arsenal, was good for an FA Cup final, and with manager Arsene Wenger victorious, there were sports stories aplenty. The country couldn't have asked for much more from the UK's biggest sporting occasion since those terrible events at the Manchester Arena last Monday.
Exactly how much the highly visible level of security was a factor for fans attending and refusing to be cowed was hard to judge, but those ESPN FC spoke to expressed a great deal of faith in the security forces who were trying to ensure their safety.
It was an impressive-looking operation, too. Armed police and the yellow bibs of other officers were conspicuous while undercover officers worked among both sets of supporters. Explosive-search sniffer dogs and mounted police patrolled the perimeter, with a helicopter monitoring activity from above the stadium.
Two Jankler "Guardian" armoured vans -- seldom put into action in the UK and said to be capable of withstanding blasts from rocket-propelled grenades -- blocked a road that crossed the thoroughfare from the underground station to the ground. The SAS were also reportedly on standby to respond to any attack in the country; the Metropolitan Police, which covers the London area, wouldn't divulge the number of officers involved in its operations.
Despite how alarming the security presence could have felt, the fans ESPN FC spoke to along Olympic Way -- the long, wide pedestrian zone fans know as "Wembley Way" -- and around the stadium were stoically calm before the match.
"My family have friends who were involved because they live in the heart of Manchester," said pensioner Peggy Goulding, an Arsenal fan.
"It has been very scary for them but they still got on a train and tube and met up with me. There is so much security around that I can't feel scared. I don't want to feel scared and want to get on with my life."
Lifelong Arsenal fan Mark Hutchinson and his 15-year-old daughter, Alice, also made the trip from Kent and arrived hours before kickoff to ensure a smooth entry to the ground, saying "you can't let the terrorists win."
Val Greenwell, who'd come down from Durham with her Chelsea fan friend, did a good job of summing up the general feeling. "We talked about whether there was a greater risk but the threat is always there and you have to keep on living," she said.
Beyond sporting rivalries and before Arsenal had clinched the game, there was a far more friendly vibe than at many other big football matches at Wembley in the past.
"It's a family day out," said a police constable as he stood guard outside the stadium. "Things have been pretty calm and gone as well as could be expected from what I've seen." Another officer happily posed for a supporter's photo in an Arsenal hat holding a large flag, lending a hint of a carnival feel in the sunshine.
Rest assured, it's not always like that before a big cup match at Wembley. There have been times when the walk to and from the stadium from the underground station has been mightily intimidating.
"Getting into the stadium took a bit longer than usual because there were extra checks," said Chelsea fan Mike Dean, from the Channel Islands. "But we were expecting that and it was reassuring in many ways. Then it was quite emotional for the minute's silence, when there were nearly 90,000 people there and you could have heard a pin drop.
"What happened in Manchester is always in your mind but I'm not going to be stopped by that."
As he bought a beer at the bar of his hotel, this disappointed fan's mind seemed focused on what might have been on the pitch rather than the threat of terror. Like so many others at Wembley on Saturday, he had moved on.