BBC Sport Northern Ireland is investigating if observers had prematurely discarded Linfield's chances of winning a title this season.
Coleraine are currently viewed as strong favourites to win the Gibson Cup, with Larne identified as their primary rival for the domestic prize.
The Sky Blues were considered superior when Linfield faced them on Friday evening at the Showgrounds.
Matthew Shevlin's goal provided the home side with a chance to recover but Ruaidhri Higgins' team lacked the necessary quality in the final third to overcome Linfield's solid defence.
Linfield's initial loss to Ballymena was unexpected as they appeared without direction and slow, though the Sky Blues earned their three points convincingly.
Since that result, the side has shown consistent improvement by securing victories over Cliftonville, Limavady United, Carrick Rangers, Dungannon Swifts, Crusaders and Coleraine.
A draw against Portadown managed by former Blues manager David Jeffrey remains their only non-winning outcome since the Ballymena fixture, with both teams sharing points at Shamrock Park.
For a squad aiming for championship glory, recovering from an early setback is often as critical as performing well when conditions are favourable.
Adam Frizzell's opening goal and Chris Shields' powerful finish put the away side in command before Kobei Moore added to their advantage at halftime.
The impressive result was achieved without main strikers Matthew Fitzpatrick and Kieran Offord, who are currently unavailable due to injury.
Linfield demonstrated unity and resilience during their victory over Glentoran in the second match of the campaign.