Following the highs of defeating leaders Leicester City last weekend, it has since proven something of a frustrating week as far as Leeds United are concerned, with Daniel Farke no doubt ruing what might have been over the past few days.
In midweek, the courageous Championship side were narrowly defeated late on by top-flight rivals Chelsea in the FA Cup, while this afternoon's clash away to Huddersfield Town saw the Whites held to a 1-1 draw by their ten-man hosts, bringing an end to their nine-game winning run in the league.
A late Patrick Bamford strike did ultimately spare the visitors' blushes following Michal Helik's opener, with the Terries having bravely held firm for over 45 minutes after losing Jonathan Hogg to a red card just before the break.
Having impressively closed the gap on the Foxes last week, slipping up against their relegation-threatened hosts represented a real shock for the Yorkshire side, with diminutive speedster, Wilfried Gnonto, among those who failed to perform at the John Smith's Stadium.
Gnonto's performance in numbers vs Huddersfield
After a slow start to the campaign – a fact not aided by the Italian's open desire to depart Elland Road last summer – Gnonto had begun to catch fire in recent weeks, with today's clash having been his sixth consecutive start in the league.
That consistent run in the side had seen the former FC Zurich star rack up four goals and one assist from the flanks, with Farke duly giving him a rest against the Blues on Wednesday night – the 20-year-old only entering the fray as a late substitute.
Perhaps that breather halted the winger's momentum, however, with the 5 foot 7 ace looking far from at his best this afternoon, losing the ball on seven occasions from just 30 touches, before being withdrawn on the hour mark.
As the Yorkshire Evening Post's Leon Wobschall noted, Gnonto endured 'an afternoon which did not go his way', with the youngster perhaps deserving of his 5/10 match rating from the same source.
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Not that the one-time Inter Milan man was alone in failing to fire in the attack, with teammate Georginio Rutter – who also picked up a 5/10 rating from Wobschall – particularly underwhelming in his number ten berth.
Rutter's game in numbers vs Huddersfield
As Wobschall summarised, the fleet-footed Frenchman was 'not at his high standards' having perhaps been somewhat fortunate to last the full 90 minutes such were his struggles to make things happen.
Aside from squandering a promising opening late on after heading over the crossbar, the £35.5m signing was not at his creative best, having provided just a solitary key pass – a far cry from the player who has chalked up 14 assists across all fronts this term.
Those woes were also laid bare by the fact that he lost possession on 14 occasions in his attempts to create, having also been something of a liability out of possession after winning just nine of his 21 total duels, while also committing four fouls on the day.
90 minutes
51 touches
72% pass accuracy
5/6 dribbles completed
12/21 duels won
1 key pass
4 fouls made
3 shots off target
As data analyst Ben Mattinson noted during last week's win at the King Power, Rutter is a "proper street baller" and "so entertaining", although he can be "frustrating" at times in the final third, with that perhaps to be expected of a player who is still just 21.
With a struggling Stoke City side the next opponents for Farke's men on Tuesday night, the German coach will be hoping that Rutter – and Gnonto – can put this rare disappointing display firmly behind them.