Tottenham Hotspur headed to Old Trafford on Sunday hoping for a third straight win to begin December.
Victory over another Premier League top-four hopeful in Manchester United would have served as a nice confirmation their recent performances were not just simple cases of them expressing superiority over confidence-lacking Swansea City and CSKA Moscow sides.
The 1-0 loss Mauricio Pochettino's team instead suffered to Jose Mourinho's Red Devils was no disgrace. But it was one that also left them with things to work on if they are to come close to fulfilling their potential this year.