Roberto De Zerbi's first game in charge of relegation-threatened Tottenham ended in a sombre 1-0 defeat at Sunderland.
The enigmatic Italian was parachuted into the Spurs hot seat with seven games to go, needing to rescue the Londoners from suffering a humiliating fate - a very different assignment to the last time he managed in the Premier League at Brighton.
The Seagulls, incidentally, will be the visitors next week when their former boss takes charge of his first home game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and he will do so from a position in the drop zone.
Tottenham remain winless in their last 14 Premier League outings, their second-longest run without a league victory in club history, and are now two points from safety after falling foul of a Nordi Mukiele deflected strike in the second half at the Stadium of Light.
Spurs showed promise in fleeting moments, De Zerbi's imprint visible in their endeavour, but Robin Roefs was only threatened once by Dominic Solanke. The striker fluffed his effort and with it Spurs' chance of a foothold in a game they failed to properly impact.
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Before the finish Destiny Udogie turned Chemsdine Talbi's attempt off the line, while captain Cristian Romero was forced off in tears with an undisclosed injury. His emotional state mirrored that of Spurs' general circumstance and now the unthinkable is a very real prospect indeed.
Sunderland, meanwhile, rise into the top half of the table as their remarkable return to the Premier League continues. The fortunes of the two sides could not have been more contrasting on yet another forgettable afternoon for the plight of Tottenham Hotspur.
Carragher: Other relegation rivals have better chance than Spurs
Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher:
"Normally a new manager comes in and you say it's his first game, that has to go out the window. It had to go out the window for Igor Tudor and it's the same for Roberto de Zerbi because of where they find themselves.
"I can't believe it. Tottenham look like they're going to go down.
"The other teams have something going for them. One point in 24?
"You look at fixtures, you think that's a good game for Tottenham, but they're awful. Tottenham's a good game for every other club.
"Wolves are bottom of the league. Do you think Tottenham will go there and win? No chance."
Wake up: Spurs' slide is real
Analysis by Sky Sports' Laura Hunter:
What began as a day of promise for the inception of the Roberto De Zerbi era ended in a crushing reality: Is this Tottenham side really good enough to stay in the Premier League?
For the majority of this season the narrative has been framed differently. Those of us that comment routinely were posing the question: Are Tottenham really bad enough to go down? Most would answer no. But that stance is swiftly changing.
Spurs are compelling relegation contenders. Perhaps, as Jamie Carragher hypothesised, a more convincing case than those around them given form and confidence levels.
Only Derby, Sunderland and Swindon Town have endured longer winless runs to start a calendar year in the top-flight than Spurs' current streak and all three were relegated in their respective campaigns. De Zerbi needs a miracle to prevent the same fate.
All the warning signs are there. And now what felt like an impossibly shocking eventuality, that had little genuine substance, feels very probable indeed.
De Zerbi: We didn't deserve to lose
Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi:
"I think we played a good game but not enough to win. We didn't deserve to lose the game but we have to accept and have to move on.
"We played a good game but we are suffering in this moment. We have to be stronger because we have the quality to come out from this difficult moment.
"I am sorry for the result and the [Cristian] Romero injury. I hope for us and for him that he it is not something important.
"We had three or four clear chances to score. Everything is tougher and we have to work in the style of play.
"We have to move on. We have to be stronger than this moment. I spoke with the players five minutes ago and said the same. It has been a tough season and we are going through a tough moment for everyone."
Story of the match in stats...
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