Tottenham failed to expand on their impressive record against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, losing to the champions at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for just the third time in nine matches.
Ange Postecoglou's decision to leave out key players, such as the rejuvenated Djed Spence, along with Son Heung-Min and Dejan Kulusevski - who have caused Man City so many problems in recent encounters, caused mixed reactions from the Tottenham faithful.
It was a chaotic opening 20 minutes, as Ange Postecoglou's renowned high-pressing style, led to his side being dispossessed multiple times, allowing Man City to create a surplus of chances.
Tottenham were punished in the 12th minute, when Erling Haaland connected with Jeremy Doku's deflected cross from the left wing. And the Norwegian nearly doubled his side's lead shortly after, but his close range effort was saved excellently by Guglielmo Vicario.
Tottenham hunted an equaliser in the second half, looking more assured defensively, and creating a surplus of late opportunities, as they came agonisingly close to finding a leveller.
However, Postecoglou's side failed to be clinical with their late flurry of chances, unlike in their emphatic 4-0 victory at the Etihad in November.
The result leaves Tottenham 13th in the Premier league table, but with Postecoglou encouraged by his side's "Aggressive football".
Increased player availability vital for final stages of the season
Postecoglou has frequently drawn attention to the fact that his team has suffered a great deal with the vast array of injuries they have suffered.
The Australian highlighted the benefit of having a greater selection of players to bring on off the bench, which influenced their improved second half performance.
"I think you see the benefit of us going into a game well prepared.
"That level of performance in the second half, if we can begin to get consistent with that then we'll be able to push on."
This will be vital for Tottenham, as they approach a busy schedule, involving key Europa League fixtures, many of whom feel will dictate the future of Postecoglou as Tottenham manager.
"We're going to have some real options which we're going to need.
"We've got Europa and league back to back now and we need as many bodies available for that as possible."
Postecoglou explains why he left out Spence, Son and Kulusevski
Some fans respected the decision to leave out the trio, given that Tottenham have very little to play for in the Premier League.
It therefore made sense to give some players much needed rest, as the Europa League takes a higher priority.
On the other hand, some fans thought it was unwise to leave out players who have haunted Man City so often in the past.
"Deki, Sonny and Djed have played an enormous amount of time, so having them have a little bit of recovery and a breather, I thought was going to be helpful for us.
"We needed Destiny, Brennan and Wilson to play today and get some minutes."
Tottenham rue squandered chances in the second half
"We had a few of those moments in the second half where it just either flashed across the box, or Ederson's made a save, or they've made a block.
"Obviously you're flattened by the defeat but in terms of the way we played and the way we went about it, it was much more like the team we want to be.
"It's a lesson in there for us. I certainly feel the second half we dominated the game and territory and we were pretty relentless and much better with ball, more calm, but just missing a goal and ultimately fell short."
A crucial time period awaits Tottenham. It seems as though the three-game winning streak prior to last night's game, gave them the breathing space they needed over the relegation zone.