Analysis: Silva stalwarts fittingly deliver

Whether Marco Silva stays or goes, it was fitting that it was a couple of long-serving players who stepped up for him.

Although surely even he will have been a little surprised by the identity of the opening scorer.

Issa Diop had not scored since finding the back of the net against Liverpool in a League Cup semi-final in January 2024.

It was therefore not surprising that the popular centre-back was mobbed by his ecstatic team-mates after heading home on Sunday.

Stunned playmaker Emile Smith Rowe had his hands on his head in apparent disbelief.

Few in the stadium, however, will have been surprised by Cairney's ability to score a screamer.

If Silva is to depart, he does so on the back of a fine victory.

Chairman Shahid Khan's programme notes were open-ended about Silva's future.

"Marco Silva has been absolutely integral to everything we've achieved - he's a major part of the foundation we're building and he's aware of our collective ambition for the seasons ahead," he wrote.

An intriguing few days lie in store and it remains to be seen if this impressive victory was Silva's parting shot.