Tottenham Hotspur have been knocked down numerous times throughout the campaign, but they picked themselves up from the canvas with Roberto De Zerbi now in their corner.
Three games. Leeds (H), Chelsea (A), Everton (H). That's all that stands between Spurs and survival - or a slide into the second tier.
Injuries have formed the crux of this unfortunate decline, but Tottenham have ultimately left too much to be desired in regard to their recruitment over the past several years.
Injuries aren't everything, though. Spurs rose to the occasion against Aston Villa, proving their spirit and their resourcefulness against the odds.
How Spurs defeated Aston Villa
Tottenham played a weakened Aston Villa team, with Unai Emery resting players ahead of his side's Europa League semi-final tie, but the controlled pressure they applied on the hosts still beggared belief, all things considered.
The forwards worked hard and caused mischief in the final third, while the midfield trio stamped down their authority on the likes of Youri Tielemans and Ross Barkley.
This is the formation that must persist over the final few weeks of the season.
The De Zerbi effect has already taken hold, but there is still a long and interminable distance to travel until we reach the end of the season, when Tottenham can call themselves a stable Premier League outfit.
Going forward, the recruitment needs to improve. That's without question.
Sure, the likes of Tanguy Ndombele and Steven Bergwijn flattered to deceive at the start of the decade, but Tottenham have plumbed darker depths since then, with so many of the current crop at risk of being sold this summer after dismal individual campaigns.
Spurs must get rid of the new Ndombele
Tottenham are going to say goodbye to a number of first-team stars this summer, and rightly so. The north Londoners need to press the reset button, and the exodus simply has to contain Yves Bissouma, who is only one month away from the end of his contract.
Bissouma hasn't played that much this season, injured and then absent due to AFCON, he's returned recently, but a poor performance against Brighton has seen De Zerbi drop him ahead of back-to-back victories.
The Mali international, 29, didn't join on quite as gargantuan a figure as Ndombele back in 2019, a club-record £63m signing from Lyon, but he still arrived with a weight of expectation that has ebbed away over the years.
Disciplinary issues has seen the tough-tackling star pick up 31 bookings and two dismissals for Tottenham, and off-the-field issues have further muddied his promising career at the club.
The same problems were evident throughout Ndombele's career in England, never able to channel and sustain his boundless natural potential.
Tottenham's engine room has looked exceptional over the past few weeks, so powerful and committed and intuitive. It's not perfect - how can it be, with so many injuries ?- but De Zerbi has struck on a sustainable formula that could stave off the threat of relegation.
If an exciting talent like Gray cannot worm his way into the starting line-up, how can Bissouma expect to? Gray, after all, has been projected to be a "future Tottenham captain" by former Lilywhites manager Harry Redknapp.
Bissouma, conversely, continues to do his own skillset a disservice when called into the fray. His lack of success in the duel against Brighton is evidence of that, and there will surely be no time for sentiment as De Zerbi maintains his new trio over the final weeks of the season.
Bissouma was once considered one of the most talented midfielders in the Premier League. Certainly, his aptitude in close combat and crisp distribution made him a formidable opponent for any Premier League team looking to progress the ball forward. Like Ndombele, he has enjoyed moments of success, but it looks like he will depart on a similarly sombre note.
Sadly, though, the highs have been few and far between at Spurs, and if ENIC Group were to extend the Malian's time at the club, it would be evidence that the myriad of mistakes over recent years have not been learned from.