Aston Villa lost a soul-crushing eighth Premier League game in a row on Saturday, going down 2-1 at home against AFC Bournemouth.
It was a day where the Cherries mathematically confirmed their safety after a fantastic debut season in the Premier League, whilst Villa are all but relegated despite results elsewhere keeping them up for the time being.
Villa were never at the races, Steven Cook opening the scoring for a Bournemouth team that never had to get out of second gear. Josh King doubled the lead, meaning that Jordan Ayew's late goal was nothing but a consolation.
Bland team, bland performance
Caretaker manager Eric Black didn't send out the most exciting line-up, with recently-returned Jack Grealish and Adama Traore both finding themselves on the bench.
There was a start for young Jordan Lyden in midfield, whilst fans were left puzzled by Leandro Bacuna's inclusion after his recent comments about wishing to leave the club.
Villa's lack of quality, and Bournemouth's relaxed style made for a fairly dreary first half, which never really threatened to burst into life.
Brad Guzan was the first goalkeeper called into action, tipping a Lewis Grabban effort wide after smart play from Max Gradel to set him up.
Villa didn't look like scoring in the first half, as they failed to register a shot on target during the first 45 minutes. Ashley Westwood and Kieran Richardson both sent shots high over the bar, cheered sarcastically by the fed up home fans.
Cook opens the scoring
Bournemouth did take the lead in stoppage time at the end of the first half, Cook scoring with precious few seconds left on the clock. Matt Ritchie played the ball to Simon Francis after a well worked short corner routine, with Cook on the end of Francis' low ball in to flick it past Guzan.
Rudy Gestede was introduced at half-time, but he had little impact, with Villa still unable to test Artur Boruc in the Bournemouth goal.
Kieran Richardson wasted a golden opportunity just before the hour mark, leaving the fans wondering just how he didn't manage to score. Jordan Ayew did well to move into the box and set Richardson up for a tap in from inside the six yard box, but the midfielder somehow managed to fluff his lines and allow the ball to travel through his legs.
King makes it two before Ayew grabs a consolation
Villa were made to pay for that miss, as King made it 2-0 to Bournemouth with 15 minutes left. A mix up between Aly Cissokho and Ciaran Clark saw the latter sold short with a pass, allowing King to nip infront and dink the ball over an advancing Guzan.
There was time for Villa to nick a goal back, but it would count for nothing. Jordan Ayew has arguably been the club's best player this season, and he showed his capabilities again by driving at the Cherries defence before crashing a shot into the corner of the net.
All but over for lacklusture Villans
The game ended 1-2, a score which would have seen Villa confirmed as being relegated had Norwich City managed to draw away at Crystal Palace. They lost 1-0.
That leaves Villa 15 points off safety with five games left, meaning that to survive now, they'd have to win five out of five and hope that Norwich lose every remaining game.
It's all over, whatever the table says.