On Monday, as Manchester United and Arsenal were contesting probably their lowest-calibre meeting of the Premier League era, it felt as though English football's pecking order was being reshaped.
This is the first season since 1995-96 that neither of the superpowers is in the Champions League. And if next year is the second, it could be another example of Leicester's ability to upset the established order.
Because, two months into the season, the question has changed, just as ambitions may have expanded.
It is no longer a matter of Leicester disrupting the cartel of the top six. Now it is reasonable to ask if they can get into the top four.
Any answer has to involve the frailties of the usual favourites, of Arsenal and Chelsea's defensive issues, of United's lack of goals and extended poor run, of the doubts about the relative managerial rookies Frank Lampard and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, of the cost of Chelsea's transfer ban, of the end-of-an-era feel about Mauricio Pochettino's unusually underachieving Tottenham, of the injuries at each club.
But it is also a matter of what Leicester's revelations are doing right.
When they meet Liverpool today, it is the clash of the two most frugal defences in the division.
That is all the more remarkable as Leicester sold Harry Maguire for £80 million (S$136 million) in the summer and replaced him without spending a penny.
Brendan Rodgers' Leicester have been more frugal than his Liverpool were. They also have high-class personnel across the team.
After Ricardo Pereira scored a superb goal in the 5-0 thrashing of Newcastle, Rodgers bracketed the Portuguese with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kyle Walker as the best right-backs in the division.
Similar comparisons could be drawn elsewhere: apart from Liverpool's Andy Robertson, is there a finer left-back than Ben Chilwell?
When Leicester can name their first-choice midfield of Wilfred Ndidi, Youri Tielemans and James Maddison, with its blend of steel and silk, does it rank behind only Manchester City's and maybe Tottenham's?
Because Tielemans and Maddison bring a level of creativity that Liverpool's midfield workhorses lack.
And if there is a fundamental difference in attack, with Leicester boasting only one prolific player to the trio that Liverpool, City, Tottenham and potentially Arsenal possess, it is nonetheless true that Jamie Vardy has scored more Premier League goals than anyone else since Rodgers joined Leicester.
They can excel both as counter-attackers and as a possession side and, with only three defeats in 16, have been harder to beat than all bar the top two.
And while Liverpool needed 76 and 75 points respectively to claim fourth in 2017 and 2018, if the failings of the contenders have reduced the requirements since then, it increases Leicester's chances of Champions League football.
They could be progressing while others regress.
