Tottenham Hotspur saw off Bournemouth via a 3-1 scoreline to round off the calendar year with a commanding victory in the Premier League.
Spurs began the contest in impressive fashion, taking the lead in the ninth minute thanks to Pape Matar Sarr's second goal of the season.
Although Bournemouth did their utmost to pull themselves level, their hopes of a positive result were effectively quashed when Son Heung-min and Richarlison found the net in the second period.
Cherries midfielder Alex Scott pulled a goal back late on, before having another effort ruled out, but it was all too little too late as Bournemouth's seven-game unbeaten run came to a disappointing end.
Tottenham received a boost ahead of kickoff following the news that Rodrigo Bentancur was fit to take his place in the side after making a speedy recovery from an ankle injury that he sustained against Aston Villa at the end of November.
After being named in Ange Postecoglou's starting lineup, Bentancur was involved in Tottenham's early opener, pouncing on a loose pass from Neto before Giovani Lo Celso moved the ball into Sarr's path.
The Senegal international showed an initial reluctance to shoot, but after being given the time and space to pick his spot, he drove a low effort into the bottom corner.
Buoyed from opening the scoring for the 16th time in the Premier League this season, Tottenham immediately began their search for a second goal.
Emerson Royal's fierce strike drew a diving save from Neto, before Spurs captain Son fired straight at the Bournemouth goalkeeper.
After experiencing an enjoyable opening half-hour, the hosts received a setback when Sarr was forced off with an injury issue, placing his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations in doubt.
Bournemouth may have experienced a sluggish start, but they began to grow into the contest as the half wore on.
Marcus Tavernier and Justin Kluivert both threatened the Tottenham goal, before Dominic Solanke clipped an effort onto the top of the crossbar.
After finishing the first period on the front foot, Bournemouth picked up from where they left off, as they made a promising start to the second half.
Solanke went agonisingly close to adding to his 12-goal league tally when he towered high to meet Lewis Cook's inviting corner, only for Guglielmo Vicario to make a smart reaction save.
Just moments later, Richarlison spurned a golden opportunity to double Tottenham's advantage, dragging his left-foot shot wide after being teed up by Son.
With the lead still a fragile one, Solanke continued to lead Bournemouth's search for an equaliser, sending an effort wide from Tavernier's cross.
After failing to capitalise on a couple of promising opportunities, Bournemouth were ultimately punished in the 71st minute when Son netted his 12th goal of the season.
The South Korea international latched onto Lo Celso's inch-perfect through ball, before he drilled a powerful strike past Neto.
Tottenham wasted little time in adding a third, as Richarlison tapped in from Brennan Johnson's low cross to put his side in complete control.
Bournemouth were able to pull a goal back through Scott, who came off the bench to sweep home his first Premier League goal.
The midfielder thought he had grabbed a second in stoppage time, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside, ensuring that Tottenham could celebrate a 3-1 win that leaves them in fifth position and one point adrift of the top four.
As for Bournemouth, they remain in 12th place in the Premier League table after seeing their four-game winning run come to an end. body check tags ::
