With thousands of postal votes beginning to land on doormats today, Monday night’s TV debate between Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling was being treated as vitally important by both sides.
And, according to an exit poll by ICM for The Guardian newspaper, it was Mr Salmond who came out on top following what fast descended into an unedifying shouting match.
The snapshot of 500 viewers had 71% backing the First Minister compared to 29% for the former Chancellor.
In truth, the result was probably closer than that in a debate where both men tried to get on the front foot with aggressive displays.
They regularly shouted and interrupted each other. It was high on rhetoric, high on testosterone but low on answers.
Following the First Minister’s insipid performance in the previous contest, he ditched the softly-softly approach and went for the jugular on health, welfare and further powers for the Scottish Parliament.
That forcefulness was matched by the Better Together leader, who argued and harangued over the currency and oil revenues.Follow all the indyref news in our special sectionWhat that led to was a debate which was pretty tough to watch at times, with any potentially meaningful responses replaced with white noise.
The format of the BBC programme meant many more subjects could be covered but currency once again dominated, particularly in the early stages.
However, as the cross examination section began and Mr Darling brought the subject up again, jeers could be heard echoing around the Kelvingrove Museum.
The audience was lively too. There was plenty of clapping and heckling for both men followed their popular or otherwise points. Somewhat surprisingly, the majority of questioners selected at random were very much Yes.
Better Together types were not amused afterwards.
“If this is the BBC’s idea of balance” muttered one grimly afterwards.
There were very few surprises about the points both campaigners stuck to.
Mr Salmond, looking down the barrel of the camera from the beginning as he tried to connect to the audience at home, turned his focus far more on welfare compared to the first round.
He maintained the “walking out from behind the lectern” shtick to answer audience questions, which is a bit naff but, unlike last time, chose the right issues to get worked up about.
Mr Darling went for economics. He had Mr Salmond with “not one but three” plan Bs on currency and challenged him forcefully over what the First Minister would do if oil revenues do not materialise at the level he is predicting.
He was also pointy very pointy. On more than one occasion the left arm and index finger extended out to make sure he got his, well, point across, particularly as the tension levels soared.
Last time out, in front of 1.7 million viewers for STV, the former Chancellor won the debate by dominating the cross examination section with a forensic attack on the currency. Bookmaker Ladbrokes had both men at 5/6 an hour before the action got under way.
Indeed, he was the favourite earlier in the day until the odds closed later.
It looks like the bookies were right on this occasion but it remains to be seen if anyone sitting on the fence will be convinced by anyone after this showdown.
There were a few embarrassed faces in the media room at the points the final TV debate descended into madness.
I know I was one of them.