The optimism post-Villa Park was almost disconcerting, so it was comforting when the doom and gloom re-emerged after Monday night's draw with Leeds United.
We left rather ambivalent; not knowing how to feel. Sure, we'd been handed a massive opportunity by our fiercest rivals the day before, but Leeds are gritty, physical and tough to beat. It was never going to be a cake walk, even if our performance against Aston Villa convinced some that Roberto De Zerbi's side would secure the necessary result.
Antonín Kinsky's late heroics meant a point was earned, although James Maddison certainly felt as if we should've had the chance to take all three when he was tripped in the box by Lukas Nmecha.
The result leaves the door ajar for West Ham, who continue to perform well despite sustaining back-to-back defeats. As a result, Spurs supporters remain firmly on edge, practising their Geordie accents and hoping that next Tuesday night never comes around. It's Chelsea away, where Lilywhite dreams die.
Draw at Stamford Bridge could be enough to keep Tottenham up
It generally doesn't matter how bad Chelsea have been as of late. We've seen Spurs teams superior to their west London hosts waltz into Stamford Bridge and depart having evolved into the sorriest of units for 90 minutes. There's a reason we've claimed just one Premier League victory there since the competition's inception.
Winning next Tuesday, though, might not be a necessity.
Newcastle United host West Ham on Saturday evening with little to play for. European football is surely beyond them after they were pegged back late on by Nottingham Forest last week, but it is their last home game of the season, and Eddie Howe will want to head into 2026/27, having received backing from above, with some momentum behind them.
They're not going to wilt so everyone can laugh at Spurs, put it that way. Should they claim victory over the Hammers this weekend, doing us another late-season favour, De Zerbi's men would need just a point, barring a massive goal difference swing, from their remaining two games to stay in the Premier League.
Of course, we'd be in a much better position had we triumphed on Monday, but the situation isn't disastrous. You could argue that De Zerbi's team, given the absence of high-quality attackers, are better suited to facing a Chelsea, who'll aim to retain the possession and build up through the thirds, than they are a Leeds, who went direct and tried to win second balls.
A point at the Bridge could be enough to keep us up, and despite our wretched record there, combined with how "up for it" Chelsea supporters will be, means that's hardly a given, it shouldn't be deemed an inevitability that the Lilywhites will once again crumble in west London.
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