It felt like Brennan Johnson had something to prove against North Macedonia on Tuesday night.
The 24-year-old had been left out of Wales' starting line-up in the World Cup qualifier against lowly Lichtenstein at the weekend, and was already struggling to establish himself as a permanent fixture under Thomas Frank this season.
It is quite the contrast to just six months ago - Johnson scoring the winner in the Europa League final to secure Spurs their first European trophy in 41 years.
Despite having notched four goals in all competitions so far this campaign, his strike against Copenhagen in the Champions League just before the international break was his first since finding the net against Doncaster in the Carabao Cup in September.
Last term, Johnson started 24 Premier League matches of the 35 he played, but this season he has started less than half of the 11.
The versatile forward, who can play across the attack, is now competing with summer arrivals Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons, among others, as new boss Frank searches for his preferred combination.
However, Johnson seems to have been missing the confidence and flair he showed under Ange Postecoglou, and it has been a similar situation with his national team.
Tottenham reporter for The Athletic Jack Pitt-Brooke recently told BBC Sport Wales: "He doesn't really do a lot apart from scoring goals.
"There are obviously worse things to be than a guy who's just known for scoring goals, but I think people would probably have expected him to have done more."
Our Spurs fan writer also named Johnson as the player who was floundering, adding: "It is unclear how he fits into this Thomas Frank side, if at all."
However, in a crucial final World Cup qualifier for Wales at the Cardiff City stadium on Tuesday evening, Johnson showed why he can be more than just a goalscorer.
Yes, he did score an impressive curling effort and provide an assist, but it is what he did around that that also caught the eye.
Johnson recorded far more dribbles than any of his team-mates, completing five out of seven. Indeed, no other Wales player managed more than one successful dribble in the game.
He was willing to compete for the ball, racking up 12 duels in total - the most of anyone in red - and winning the second-most of those with six. He also won possession more times for Wales than any other player.
Johnson needs to demonstrate he can provide as much in build-up as he does in the penalty area given Frank's apparent preference for hardworking forwards.
This was precisely the kind of performance that he will need to bring back to north London. Starting against Arsenal on Sunday.
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