If Tottenham Hotspur's 3-2 defeat by Everton had an end-of-an-era atmosphere then the energy around the dismal loss at home to Leceister City was funereal.
In recent weeks, Ange Postecoglou's side has developed the bizarre habit of breathing new life into their opponent's struggling seasons.
Everton had not won since September until Spurs showed up on Merseyside, while Leicester City was on a seven-game losing streak. Both beat them.
Against the Foxes, Tottenham Hotspur had taken the lead yet still managed to lose, at home, to one of the division's strugglers.
When the full-time whistle blew, angry home fans directed much of their discontent at long-time chairman Daniel Levy, who, not for the first time, was being accused of a lack of investment.
'24 Years, 16 Managers, 1 Trophy. Time for change.' read a yellow banner unfurlled at full-time about Levy's tenure.
But there was also frustration directed towards Ange Postecoglou, whose recent record of six defeats in the past seven Premier League games is equally poor.
The Australian coach had been rather feisty when facing questions in the aftermath of defeat against Everton, but following the Leceister loss, there was a sense of grim acceptance.
"I have felt all along that the players are still very committed to what we're doing," Postecoglou told the media.
"That's important to me, because I firmly believe in it and I really believe that this is as low as we've been so far this year.
"But I still think in these last three months we can do something really special, and these players believe that.
"Right now, it's very hard to visualize [given] the current circumstances we're in; you just have to look at our absences today. They'll all be back."
Injuries unquestionably placed a severe strain on the threadbare squad, but the form has been so unbelievably poor reporters asked Postecoglou if he'd still be in charge once they recovered.
"Who knows, mate?" the manager replied, "I reckon there is probably a fair chunk that will say no.
"When you are the manager of a football club, you can be very vulnerable and isolated.
"I don't feel that. I feel like this group of players, not for me, are giving everything for the club. I have a group of staff that is really committed. I focus on that.
"I can even see in training, when the guys who are coming back come back in, it is going to give everybody a lift.
"As I keep saying to the players, there is a fantastic opportunity this season to really make an impact and I know we can.
"But in terms of your question, is there anything I can say about that that is going to change anything that I need to do tomorrow morning? Nothing."
The Times of London described the performance as Postecoglou's "lowest ebb," which was precisely the same term The Athletic chose when it claimed "Tottenham have hit their lowest ebb under Ange Postecoglou" in May and way back in 2019 by The Guardian to describe Spurs under the guardianship of Mauricio Pochettino.
The repetition of this phrase explains why Spurs fans feel so deflated and tend to direct their frustrations at the boardroom rather than the dugout.
It was telling that Ange Postecoglou, who is positive and unwilling to use a lack of signings as a reason to lower ambitions, broke from that stance ahead of the Leicester City game.
"There's no doubt about that. We're sort of playing with fire by not bringing anyone in," he said before adding diplomatically.
"But the flip side of that is the club is trying to change that situation."
However, when pressed about the club's progress in the market, he said, "There's not a lot more depth I can give.
"I've still got to manage this team and get them ready. I'm not out there trying to find opportunities for the club; that's not my role at this time. There isn't time to do it.
"I have daily communication with Johan [Lange, technical director] in particular and he's trying everything he possibly can to get the help we need.
"I don't think I'm stating anything other than the obvious and for me to come here and say something else would be disingenuous: this playing group needs help.
Even more concerningly, he refused to discuss whether funds were available for him to play with.
"I don't ask those questions. It's not something I'm involved in, it's not something I have exposure to. My discussions with Johan and the club have been about trying to get some help for the players, and I'll let them do their jobs."
As another project at Spurs loses its way, the question is how the hierarchy ends the constant cycle of bust and rebuild.