Nottingham Forest ramped up Tottenham's relegation fears with a thumping 3-0 win in north London, as pre-match positivity at Spurs turned to angst and anger by full-time.
Spurs had been galvanised by a draw at Liverpool last weekend and a valiant victory over Atletico Madrid amid their Champions League exit in midweek. Fans lined the High Road outside the ground to welcome the team bus with a renewed air of optimism.
By the final whistle many had already flooded to the exits, while those who stayed booed their team off after another miserable Premier League defeat at home which leaves their prospects bleak. It's 13 without a win in the top flight - and just two victories in their last 22.
Igor Tudor's side didn't muster a shot on target in the second half until they were 3-0 down, in what had been billed the biggest game of their season. Perhaps the biggest game of their recent history.
West Ham's defeat at Aston Villa means Spurs are still just above the drop zone - by a point - but they have slipped to 17th, leapfrogged by a Forest side who now have a three-point cushion on the Hammers and a spring in their step off the back of Europa League progress. This was Vitor Pereira's first Premier League win as Forest boss and it was a huge one.
There was cruel irony for Spurs that Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White forced in the second past Guglielmo Vicario - they had chased the No 10 in last summer's transfer window. It was a decisive blow with the game in the balance and the latest example of questionable goalkeeping from Vicario, who was playing ahead of a hernia operation next week.
Taiwo Awoniyi rubbed salt in the wounds with a late finish from close range, which led to a mass exodus and boos for Vicario from Spurs fans again.
Igor Jesus - who had looped the ball against his own back post early on - headed in from a corner against the run of play to give the Forest the lead late in the first half.
Spurs would have been encouraged by their performance up to that point and only a stunning Matz Sels tip onto the bar denied Mathys Tel an instant equaliser. They saw a penalty appeal from Cristiano Romero waved away in the aftermath, following a collision with Neco Williams.
But with Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence off at the break - later confirmed as a tactical change than due to injuries - Spurs made a sluggish start to the second period and the sight of Tel, their best player on the day, limping off soon after Forest's second added to the despair around the ground.
The hope the Spurs fans had before the game completely contrasted with the empty seats and frustration at full-time - while the Forest faithful partied in the away section. These are two teams who look like they're heading in different directions.
Spurs assistant coach Bruno Saltor:
"For 44 minutes in the first half we were the better team. Any small detail goes against us and we aren't able to capitalise on the opposition mistakes.
"We need to keep helping the players. The players care, 100 per cent trying their best but at the moment it's not enough and we need to minimise any mistakes because we know we're going to concede a goal."
Spurs captain Cristian Romero to Your Site:
"This season is tough, especially in this moment. Another day bad for us, another game lost at home.
"The first thing to the fans is thank you for today and also for every day, staying with us.
"The most important thing for us is to play like a final now. It's very tough, it's a bad season.
"The first half was good but in the second half, we lose the confidence, lose the ball, conceded another stupid goal. This is difficult, but now it's finished.
"It's painful, it's a bad day but the most important thing is to go away to national teams, come back here and have seven finals."
Vitor Pereira to Your Site:
"It is not just about this game, it's about the next seven games. We need to have this personality, playing with our arguments, with the ball because we have quality. Good for the momentum, good for the belief because we need to believe in ourselves.
"It's about us, it's not about Tottenham, or West Ham or Leeds. It's not about them, it's about us and what we can do as a team, what we want to be as a team, what we want to be as a player, what we want for our life and the next season.
"In the end, if we have the spirit to sacrifice ourselves to give everything on the pitch to achieve our goals... We are committed and ready to fight."
