So it's first blood to England in the Ashes. But as we all know, blood is a notoriously stubborn stain.
'Freddie' Flintoff's five-for during his last ever Test at Lord's - not to mention Monday morning's demand of captain Andrew Strauss that he be left bowl to the death - will be tacked on to the long and winding Ashes narrative.
However, a trickle of blood was still dripping off one of those wickets when victory was wrapped up before lunch. Because just 24 hours earlier, Austalia's leading batsman Phillip Hughes was left marooned on 17 when his edged attempt seemed to carry to Strauss' finger tips.
Opposing captain Ricky Ponting, who was at the crease following Simon Katich's removal (also Flintoff), was convinced Strauss had not caught cleanly. As the TV replays supported his doubts, Ponting appealed to Strauss' cricketing spirit but to no avail and with that time-wasting business at Cardiff fresh in his mind, Ponting was visibly seething.
Who could possibly claim they would have done any differently? Chapel bells still ringing and the tourists already stripped of their two leading batsmen? No, no, there's just too much at stake to expect honesty of Adam Gilchrist-esque proportions, even if their celebrations were punctured by the piercing gaze of the MCC members harrumphing down from the famous old pavillion.
But if 'Bodyline' taught them anything, it's that victories categorised under 'dubious' are all too easily undermined. The tensions emerging between Strauss and his plucky opposite number, Ponting, could end up influencing how we file the summer of 2009.
An Ashes win would be all very well but when the celebrations die down and the honours list is ludicrously inflated, niggling doubts that England are actually a better side than their touring rivals could begin to fester.
Strauss’ sheepish grin on the podium as he laughed off leading questions which alluded to The Incident (let's call it that for the moment) will be one of many grating images that will have them up in arms Down Under.
Meanwhile, tributes have been raining down on Flintoff in the Aussie media. Not only for his performance with the ball (as opposed to the bat) but for his almost sickly sportsmanship. He gets away with it because Australians don't do cynicism when it comes to 'Good Bloke-ness'.
Half decent skin, half self-consciously aware of the myriad TV cameras focused on him, the cuddly all-rounder commiserated with his vanquished opponents and shook the hands of the umpires before joining his team mates who, in marked contrast, seemed rather insular in their joy-unconfined.
The English will stop at nothing to regain the urn - which bodes well for us as observers. However, if they want to avoid 18 months of Antipodean attempts to place an asterix over a potential series victory, then England must win by two whole(some) Tests.
