Tottenham Hotspur can ill-afford any more stumbles in their fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening, Roberto De Zerbi's men actually played well, but they still failed to hold onto their slender advantage and were held to a draw when Georginio Rutter struck past Antonin Kinsky in stoppage time.
How they respond is the question on every Lilywhites fans' mind. Spurs travel to bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers and then Aston Villa next before hosting relegation rivals Leeds United. These next few weeks are clearly crucial.
After so many poor performances - Tottenham last won in the Premier League in December, 15 games ago - it was pleasing to see De Zerbi get some kind of tune out of his players, even if they still failed to secure the win.
How Spurs improved vs Brighton
Chiefly, there was more spirit and initiative about Tottenham's performance. Improvements are still needed, as was painfully clear when the players stood, dejected, and stared into the grass as they failed to secure a priceless victory that would of taken them above Nottingham Forest, who then won on Sunday against Burnley.
This is not the time for rueing missed opportunities, though, with kitchen sink time upon us. De Zerbi will make that known in training, but he will also point toward the progress evident against the Seagulls.
Though the visitors had the lion's share of the ball (58%), the hosts outperformed their xG (1.09 vs 0.82), and
Expected Goals (xG) is a metric designed to measure the probability of a shot resulting in a goal.
The flagging midfield has also seen a facelift, with Rodrigo Bentancur starting and James Maddison on the bench following respective long-term injuries.
However, another player looked to come into his own last time out, and he could help provide a formula to lift the Londoners out of the relegation zone and toward a positive future.
De Zerbi has found a "Poch-era Dele Alli" at Spurs
He's had a tough time since joining Tottenham, but Conor Gallagher played a big role in the point gained at the weekend. As much as it was a big blow, it was a stepping stone toward a win that will surely come in the next few weeks.
It was closer to the all-action style that ENIC Group thought they were paying for when he arrived from Atletico Madrid in a £35m package in January. Throughout the first half and into the second, Tottenham probably carried a greater threat than their opponents, and Gallagher's energy and enthusiasm was a key part in that.
Despite his struggles this season, anonymous at times and typically lacking bite and confidence in key moments, De Zerbi has played Gallagher frequently, suggesting that he very much admires the 26-year-old's skillset. That opinion will not have changed after the Brighton draw.
He does have a lot more to offer. After all, The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke once described him as a “Poch-era Dele Alli” during his days as a Chelsea star.
It's fair to say that Gallagher's performances over the past few months have not been reminiscent of Dele in his Tottenham heyday. However, he showed against Brighton that he can play with more freedom and progressiveness than we've seen.
His previous campaign in the Premier League, at Stamford Bridge in 2023/24, saw him post five goals and seven assists, excelling in a roving midfield role. He created 11 big chances, won 5.7 duels per average each game and succeeded with 68% of his dribbles.
That's Dele-esque, albeit to a lesser standard than when the former England international once wreaked havoc upon Premier League defences.
With Bentancur bringing stability to the midfield, De Zerbi can now urge Gallagher to play with more freedom, breaking away from the pragmatism that is probably holding him back.
Maddison could also play a Christian Eriksen-type playmaking role, allowing Gallagher to dart into the danger area and create without shouldering the burden of chief responsibility.
Is Gallagher Dele reincarnate? No, clearly not. However, an ability to drive forward and combine combative midfield work with slick attacking play is something that has been missing down N17 this season, and if Gallagher uses this platform to kick on, it could prove all the difference.