Bristol City slipped to their third consecutive defeat last night as Huddersfield Town beat them 2-1 at the John Smith's Stadium.
Lee Johnson's men arrived in Yorkshire hoping to bounce back from defeats against Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion in order to get their play-off push back on track.
However, the Robins looked second best right from the off and deservedly went 1-0 down just before half-time as Chris Willock scored his first goal for the Terriers.
City looked improved after the break but things would go from bad to worse for them as Karlan Grant doubled the deficit from the penalty spot.
Famara Diedhiou got a late consolation goal but it did little to raise the visitors' spirits on what was a difficult and disappointing evening.
Results elsewhere mean they stay within three points of the top six but Johnson's men looked far from a side capable of challenging for the play-offs.
Before the focus switches to the trip to face Millwall on Saturday, here are three things the City boss will have learnt from the defeat to Huddersfield...
City are in the midst of another of their losing runs
Defeats to the Championship's top two teams were in many ways understandable but the performance and result against the Terriers indicated that Johnson's side are in another of their losing runs.
Under their current manager, the Robins have had the tendency to go on long runs of good or bad form, which has earned him the name 'Streaky Johnson' in the past.
Last season, two late winless streaks cost City their place in the play-offs. If the City boss cannot get his side out of this one quickly, then he may see the same happen this time around.
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The switch back to the 5-3-2 is not the answer
After two consecutive losses setting up in a 4-4-2, last night saw City switch back to the 5-3-2 system they used for much of the early part of the campaign.
It is fair to say that it did not go well. The midfield trio failed to get much control of the game, while there was little defensive stability in the backline and Nahki Wells and Famara Diedhiou were often isolated up front.
Johnson will likely have been hoping that this tactical switch would have proved decisive but last night's game showed him that 5-3-2 is not the answer.
Unfortunately for the Robins boss, lots of questions remain about what the structure and makeup of his best side is.
There remain huge issues in central midfield
City started the game with Jamie Paterson, Markus Henriksen and Tommy Rowe in central midfield, and they failed to give the visitors any real control.
Central midfield continues to be a problem area for Johnson. Captain Josh Brownhill's January exit has left them short a key player, while current injuries to Korey Smith and Han-Noah Massengo mean he doesn't have a huge amount of options.
Adam Nagy looked impressive from the bench last night but he has been unable to put together a significant run in the team this season due to fitness problems.
It is difficult, at this point, to know what the solution is for Johnson but if he doesn't work it out fast, his side's play-off chances may be gone.