Confidence appears to be increasing at Tottenham once again after such a poor first few months in 2021.
Looking on course to challenge towards the top of the league and also go far in Europe, the huge drop in form under Jose Mourinho saw Spurs fall out of contention in both and it culminated in the experienced head coach losing his job.
Off the pace in the opening 45 minutes against Southampton in Ryan Mason's first game as interim head coach, an impressive second-half performance gave the team a much-needed boost ahead of the Carabao Cup final.
The Lilywhites weren't victorious against Man City eight days ago but the blow of missing out on silverware didn't appear to have impacted the team too much when Sheffield United made the trip to N17.
Gareth Bale, hat-trick hero on the evening, once again showed exactly why he should've been in team rather than on the bench under Mourinho, with Serge Aurier also delivering his best performance in quite some time as he finished the match with two assists.
Dele Alli also appears to be growing in confidence again after Mason rewarded him with a start after standing out in training at Hotspur Way following an "excellent" week.
Much was made of Mourinho's decision not to play both Bale and Alli more often over the past few months but Mason could be about to see the best of them in the final few weeks of the season after handing them both the chance they craved.
Steven Bergwijn could also fall into that category with the interim head coach utilising him off the bench in all three of his games in charge so far.
Looking like he had nailed down the right-wing spot during the first part of the season as Mourinho started him in all the big games, the Dutchman has barely featured in the league since February.
Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura's upturn in form saw the duo jump ahead of their teammate in the pecking order, with Bale also coming into Mourinho's thinking around that time.
That unfortunately saw the ex-PSV man not named in the squad on seven occasions in Mourinho's final ten league games in charge as he only played the once when he was introduced late on at Aston Villa.
However, Mason has restored him to his matchday 20 in the past three fixtures and the talented winger has come on late on in games to give him some much-needed minutes.
Perhaps not the amount of minutes he would have wanted going on his run in the team at the start of the season but it's more than he was getting under Mourinho in the final few weeks of his tenure.
Given 15 minutes in the drubbing of Sheffield United, Bergwijn looked extremely confident when he came on despite his lack of game time and he made an immediate impact after two minutes.
Collecting the ball just over the halfway line, the 23-year-old went on a positive run at the Blades' backline before sweeping the ball out to his left with a gap appearing by Son, who in turn found the top corner with a stunning effort from the edge of the area.
Bergwijn still may not have netted a goal this season but his assist in the 4-0 win would have given him a big lift after such a frustrating few months for the player under Mourinho.
Forcing his way into Mason's Tottenham team will be incredibly difficult to do in what is now left of the season going on Bale's top form but the interim head coach has demonstrated that he will give his player minutes off the bench.
Tottenham now have four games remaining and Bergwijn may still have a big part to play as the team chase an unlikely Champions League place as they trail Chelsea in fourth by five points.
It's a big gap to make up with only a handful of matches on the agenda but all Spurs can do is win their last few games and hope results go their way in the meantime.
With Bale showing exactly what he can do in the past two league games, you wouldn't bet against Bergwijn finally breaking his duck and netting his first goal of the season if Mason rewards him with more minutes in the final four fixtures and also due to his increasing confidence.
Waiting all season for that elusive first goal to come, it may indeed prove crucial in Spurs' European quest if it does finally arrive before the final whistle at the King Power Stadium later this month.
