The problems confronting Mauricio Pochettino continued to mount after the Tottenham Hotspur manager watched his side slump to a 2-1 home defeat by Stoke City in the Premier League on Sunday.
First-half goals from Bojan Krkic and Jonathan Walters provided Stoke with the cushion to withstand a late Spurs rally triggered by Nacer Chadli's 77th-minute reply before the home side was reduced to ten men following Kyle Naughton's dismissal five minutes from time at White Hart Lane.
A fourth home league defeat of the season left Tottenham in 12th position, five places and six points worse off than at the same stage when Andre Villas-Boas was overseeing the final weeks of his reign before being dismissed in mid-December.
While Pochettino was forced to reflect on another disappointment, Stoke manager Mark Hughes could draw satisfaction from a win that moved his side into the top half of the table.
Elsewhere, Newcastle recorded their fourth win on the trot with a comfortable 2-0 win against West Brom at The Hawthorns.
Ayoze Perez recorded his second goal in two games with a well struck finish just before the break.
Newcastle continued to dominate proceedings and they doubled their advantage shortly after when Fabricio Coloccini met Daryl Jamnatt's cross with a ferocious header.
West Brom looked threatening late in the second half, but they couldn't string together that killer pass to force a consolation goal.
Tenth place Everton earned a vital point against Sunderland courtesy of a 76th minute penalty from Leighton Baines.
The Toffees struggled to conjure an opening for large parts of the contest, and went behind early in the second half through a Sebastian Larsson goal for Stoke.
But, Everton continued to hold firm and fourteen minutes from time, Seamus Coleman was chopped down in the box by Conor Wickham, with Baines converting the penalty.
