Ange Postecoglou boldly invited pressure on himself and Tottenham with his recent boast that he "always" wins a trophy in his second season in charge.
The pronouncement raised eyebrows as it came from the manager of a club without a trophy since the League Cup win under the long-forgotten and unlamented Juande Ramos in 2008. But Postecoglou was simply stating a fact.
And the Australian's quest to fulfil that promise took a significant step forward with a fully deserved 2-1 win over Manchester City that booked Spurs a Carabao Cup quarter-final meeting at home to Manchester United.