Tottenham Hotspur scored a statement victory on Wednesday, knocking Manchester City out of the Carabao Cup and advancing to the quarter-finals.
It was an excellent performance, but one which must be followed with victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, because the form has been patchy for Ange Postecoglou's side in 2024/25.
It was a step in the right direction. Tottenham's trophy hoodoo is a much-ridiculed fact within English football, but Postecoglou is a driven and successful manager and understands the gravity of succeeding in a cup competition.
Even so, Spurs are eighth in the Premier League with four wins from nine matches. They are five points behind Sunday's visitors.
Defeat is inconceivable. A draw is undesirable. Victory is imperative for Postecoglou's squad, who must start to make headway before the November international break. Sadly, injuries have compounded the issue.
Tottenham team news
The big one. Micky van de Ven is sidelined after injuring his hamstring against Pep Guardiola's side in midweek. The dynamic Dutchman is not expected back until after the international break.
This troubling news is aggravated by a possible injury to his central defensive partner Cristian Romero, with Postecoglou claiming that the Argentine was "a bit sore" after the Carabao Cup clash but that there's a decent chance that he will be handed a starting berth against the Villans. Here's hoping.
Djed Spence and Wilson Odobert are still out of action, but Heung-min Son could be in line to return after sitting out for six of the past seven fixtures in all competitions with muscular issues.
This defensive conundrum is something to be concerned by, with Villa one of the finest attacking outfits in England. The danger is heightened through Jhon Duran, who's bound to be unleashed like a ravenous bloodhound after the interval.
Spurs need to contain Jhon Duran
If Romero is, indeed, unable to make the starting cut, Radu Dragusin will likely be partnered with veteran Ben Davies in central defence.
It's not been the finest start to the season for Dragusin but he's still a high-breed defensive talent. He will, however, have to contend with Ollie Watkins and, later into the affair, Duran.
Duran is a monstrous forward, having racked up eight goals from 14 matches under Unai Emery this term. Remarkably, the Colombian has only started three games, with five of his goals posted off the bench.
What a talent. Postecoglou will no doubt have a plan to silence the young buck, but of course, will need to rally every inch of his Lilywhite resources to effectively execute the plan.
One such route might be relying on his tried-and-tested frontline. Changing tack, sinking, dropping, and shelling into a defensive approach is something that runs counter to Spurs' identity, and is a course of action that Postecoglou simply won't enforce.
Instead, Tottenham must ensure that they produce slick and stylish attacking forward, flowing through phases and harnessing the purple patch of Brennan Johnson, Son's everlasting prolificness, James Maddison's creativity, Dejan Kulusevski's new-found strength in a complete role.
And if the match drags into the second half with the scores level, or the away side even - unthinkably - ahead on the scoreboard, Postecoglou might find that he actually has his own version of Duran - Mikey Moore can be the second-half substitute to silence the Villa crowd.
Mikey Moore could be Ange's own Jhon Duran
Maddison recently praised Moore for his "young, fearless mentality," with the 17-year-old making his name known down N17 after slotting into Postecoglou's senior set-up this season.
Last time out, he was handed his maiden starting berth in the Premier League, albeit proving to be ineffective as Tottenham were dismally defeated at Selhurst Park, with hitherto winless Crystal Palace stabbing another setback into the north Londoners' campaign.
The youngster tried hard across his 62 minutes of action but failed to take a shot or complete a key pass, as well as failing with each of his three attempted dribbles and winning only three of his nine contested duels, as per Sofascore.
Even so, Moore is an elite-level talent, hailed as a "superstar" by renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano. He has dazzled for Tottenham in the Europa League this year, having also scored 16 goals and supplied nine assists across 14 matches for Tottenham's youth team last season.
Moore's fleet-footed style, all balletic grace as he capers up the field, suggests that, for now, he's best served in a substitute role, perhaps emulating that of Tottenham's upcoming opponent Duran.
Moore is a strong and combative forward to be sure, but he hasn't grown into his skin yet and runs the risk of failing to win duels if unleashed from the outset.
Duran's brilliance comes from his electric pace and ability to overwhelm tired legs. No player wants to be a 'super sub', but Duran is one of the finest in Premier League history and operates in a role that maximises his qualities, explosive quality over quantity, as it were.
Tottenham's prodigious talent has been a regular feature throughout their continental campaign, notably attempting seven dribbles and winning six duels during a slender victory over Ferencvaros last month.
For his efforts, football.london's Alasdair Gold bestowed upon him an 8/10 match rating, praising his problematic presence against the Hungarians; he was involved in the opening goal and looked like a real menace each time he collected the ball.
Last week, the versatile winger was awarded his club's Player of the Match after another emphatic display in the Europa League, this time against AZ Alkmaar.
Duran is almost certainly going to be introduced at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after the hour mark, but in Moore, the hosts might find that they have a secret weapon of their own.
With a style that crackles with energy and a tenacious approach to his football, he might just pop up with a big moment to ensure that Tottenham narrow the gap between them and Villa and start to make progress in the pursuit of Champions League football.