It was a tough battle on Tuesday night, but Tottenham got the job done, eventually.
A relegation-threatened Brighton & Hove Albion side arrived at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, set up for a draw to edge them a point closer to safety.
And they almost got it, with their stubborn resolve broken by a thunderous Christian Eriksen strike from 25 yards in the 89th minute.
It was Tottenham's sixth game in 21 gruelling days, and tired legs are beginning to set in.
Indeed, both Danny Rose and Dele Alli went down with knocks in the first half on Tuesday night, but thankfully both were able to carry on.
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And given Mauricio Pochettino's injury list, the manager will need every fit player to step up between now and the end of the season, particularly with a Champions League semi-final against Ajax on the horizon.
Spurs moved four point clear of fifth-placed Arsenal with the win over Brighton, and defender Jan Vertonghen admitted it is a case of "mind over body" at this stage of the campaign.
He said: "It's definitely fine margins. All the English teams have come a long way in Europe. The Premier League is so tough, both cup ties and teams you play with your country. It all adds up and it’s starting to show.
"It is mind over body. We struggled all season a bit with some injuries. Hopefully we can get a couple of guys back soon."
The result against Brighton was not lost on Vertonghen or his teammates, with Chelsea having only drawn at home to Burnley the night before, and Arsenal and Manchester United both slipping up on Sunday against Crystal Palace and Everton respectively.
"We know how important it is – top four race, Champions League," he said.
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"There’s no games to rest now. You want to be a couple of goals up at half-time, but it wasn’t that game. Brighton defended very well and three points were very important.
"If we make [finishing the job before the final day of the season], we’ll make it. It doesn’t matter when. Hopefully we can have another win on Saturday in a very big game for us. It would be a very big step."
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