Tottenham Hotspur boosted their Premier League survival hopes with a battling 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Sunday, and their improvements were clear to see.
Igor Tudor finally got on the board for the first time since replacing Thomas Frank after Richarlison scored a 90th-minute equaliser to stun the champions at Anfield.
It was a match sorely lacking in quality, but Spurs will not have minded after the result kept them a point above the drop zone with eight matches remaining.
While interim boss Tudor is still under severe pressure, he looks to have bought himself time, with the performance against Liverpool a significant step in the right direction.
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Tottenham’s impressive work rate revealed
Tottenham had conceded first after Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick, which led Wayne Rooney to rip into Guglielmo Vicario, but they rallied back to grab a share of the spoils.
According to the post-match statistics, Spurs comprehensively outworked the hosts, which helped to set the foundations for a potentially season-defining result.
Indeed, the visitors covered 118.27km, 8.67km more than their opponents, while the North London outfit also sprinted for 10.05 per cent across that distance.
Tudor will have been delighted with the effort, but these promising signs have actually been there for much of his temporary stint, despite the largely chastening results.
Jonny Blain shared on X that the most distance Spurs have covered in Premier League matches this season have both come under Tudor – against Liverpool and at Fulham.
In addition, three of his four top-flight matches are in the top five of the same metric across the entire campaign, with the loss at Crystal Palace the only exception.
That effectively puts to bed speculation that his squad are not trying their utmost under him, and can be compared to their relentless energy under Ange Postecoglou.
While covering ground doesn’t automatically translate to results, it does set the tone while justifying Tudor’s decision to focus on fitness during his first training sessions.
What are Tottenham’s chances of relegation?
Spurs did not open up a cushion over 18th-placed West Ham despite their sterling fightback against Liverpool, but the result will have done their confidence a world of good.
Having lost 3-1 to Palace on March 5, they were given a 16.10 chance of being relegated by Opta Analyst. Now, however, that has been reduced to a 14.90 per cent likelihood.
Despite being just a marginal decline, every percentage point matters.
In comparison, Nottingham Forest have a 34.05 chance of going down, with West Ham’s odds now 45.26 per cent.
Clearly, then, the momentum is with Spurs, and if they can get the better of Forest in next weekend’s relegation six-pointer, they will be able to breathe a little easier.