It was billed as a crucial four-pointer at Dr Hyde Park, but in the end there was no denying that Roscommon were the masters as Monaghan were put to the sword in Sunday's Division 1 encounter, with Rossies boss Davy Burke more than pleased with the effort his side put in.
The Connacht outfit had just one point to show from their three games played in advance of their clash with a Farney selection who had one win registered prior to their trip west.
A superb performance by Enda Smith and Shane Cunnane's early second-half goal were the catalysts for the hosts as they notched their first victory of the campaign.
It was a sobering afternoon for a depleted Monaghan outfit that named Conor McManus among their substitutes, but they were outgunned by a hungrier home side.
After the talk last week about 65 training sessions and not having a full squad to work with, Burke was much happier when he spoke to RTÉ Sport after the 1-16 to 0-07 triumph.
"I'm very happy, any day you come out with a decent win like that in Division 1 you'd have to be happy with that," he said.
"From the very start our attitude was on it. We were really, really good today.
"Look, that's not the real Monaghan; you play Monaghan in June or July and you are looking at a different outfit. We can only beat what's in front of us, we are delighted with that today."
What also pleased Burke was his side's defensive showing, this after conceding a high score against Dublin last weekend.
"Our defence had to tighten up. Conceding 1-19 as we did last week won't win you any game. We had to shore that up. Fair play to Enda [Smith] and Daire [Cregg] up top but I'm very happy with Niall Higgins and David Murray just as much [in defence]."
While the Rossies boss is getting more and more players back, he had a special word for the returning Tadhg O'Rourke - who was introduced as a sub on Sunday afternoon.
"Tadhg is back, he was our vice-captain last year. He had a bad Achilles injury last year and what an individual effort he has put in away from the camp, the massive hours. I'm delighted for him."
Three games left for Roscommon, the first of those is away to Mayo next Saturday.
A clash that Burke is now relishing.
"I feel every game in this division is 50-50. I feel we have a good chance in Castlebar; Mayo are looking for a reaction after last night [loss to Tyrone] and we are looking to move forward."
Burke's counterpart Vinny Corey was naturally downbeat when he reflected on his side's 12-point defeat.
"A poor performance, too many simple mistakes in the first half," he reflected, when he spoke to RTÉ Sport.
"We were touching the ball on the ground, over-carrying the ball, kicking the ball way; I'd say 12 turnovers in one half of football.
"We thought we would rally in the second half and then conceded a really bad goal. Overall it was disappointing; anytime you play a Division 1 game and kick seven points, well that's not good enough."
And while Monaghan are missing some key names, Corey wasn't in the business of putting on the poor mouth.
"I expected a lot more from the boys; we are missing as lot of players but that's no excuse. As a group we could have performed a lot better and they will know that going back down the road. They will know there is no time to dwell in this league, you have to push on."
Monaghan have two of their remaining three games at home, with the manager hoping they can avail of home comforts.
"There are three games left, six points to play for. We'll take it a game at a time; we have a real tough one against Galway next week. At this stage we'll settle for a performance.
"Home advantage is a help, it's massive in this league. We'll take any advantage we can get."
