Harry Kane scored three first-half goals and set up another for Dele Alli to help Tottenham Hotspur to a 4-0 win over Stoke City.
The Lilywhites were dominant from the off at White Hart Lane, testing Lee Grant on numerous occasions and hitting the bar through Jan Vertonghen.
In the end Kane's third treble in the space of nine games, all coming inside 37 minutes, proved the difference, while Alli added the icing to the cake before the halfway mark was reached.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City at White Hart Lane. Spurs have not had things all their own way in recent weeks, winning just three of their last eight outings overall to see their outside title hopes crumble and their European aspirations come to a halt last time out. Now left battling for FA Cup success and a top-four finish, they must get back to winning ways today.
Stoke make the trip to North London sitting just inside the top half of the table in 10th place, one point adrift of West Ham United with a superior goal difference. Ninth is very much the position you expect the Potters to finish in these days, having done so three years running under Mark Hughes, but it remains to be seen whether it will be considered good enough. Europe is surely out of the question, so City are now essentially jostling for position in the top half.
TEAM NEWS!
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR XI: Lloris, Walker, Dier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies, Wanyama, Dembele, Eriksen, Dele, Kane
STOKE CITY XI: Grant, Bardsley, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters, Whelan, Adam, Arnautovic, Allen, Ramadan, Crouch
A quick glance at the team news shows that both teams are unchanged from their last outings - a 2-2 draw with Gent for Spurs and a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace for Stoke. Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino therefore sticks with a three-at-the-back system, with Ben Davies and Kyle Walker being invited to play further up the field. Eric Dier tends to look more assured in this formation, starting alongside the division's best defensive duo in Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen.
Dele Alli was dismissed in that disappointing home draw with Gent on Thursday evening, which brought and end to Tottenham's Europa League campaign due to their 1-0 loss in the first leg. The Englishman will miss his side's next three European outings as a result, but he is free to continue playing domestically - to the dismay of opposition boss Mark Hughes, who joked that Alli will now be feeling rejuvenated this afternoon due to his minimal action a few days ago.
Alli and Harry Kane have scored three in their last two meeting with Stoke, while the latter is currently on an impressive goalscoring run of 10 in 10 overall - not including the one put in the wrong net against Gent! A familiar looking side named by Pochettino, then, with Danny Rose (knee) and Erik Lamela (hip) the only players currently absent from the squad. In the case of Rose, a key component in this side, he will likely return this time next month.
It is as you were as far as Stoke are concerned, too, with Hughes keeping faith in the 11 players who edged past Palace a fortnight ago. That is a little surprising, in truth, as the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Geoff Cameron and Wilfried Bony have all returned to fitness during this hiatus from Premier League action. Even more surprisingly, only one of those players - Cameron - makes it into the Stoke squad altogether.
Shaqiri has been out for the past three weeks and could well still be feeling the effects of that layoff. One player who would have been desperate to start this afternoon is Saido Berahino, for so long linked with a big-money move to today's opponents, but he is made to wait for his full debut after again being left among the subs. The ex-England Under-21s international has made two sub appearances since joining the Potters, with his last start coming in West Brom colours in September.
Peter Crouch looked certain to be on his way out of Stoke at one point earlier in the season, but he has been given a new lease of life and recently hit the 100-goal mark in the Premier League. So often we see players come back to haunt their former clubs, so do not be surprised to see him register this afternoon, while Joe Allen has been in inspired form pretty much all campaign and will cause Tottenham's backline problems in his starting position just off the tall striker.
BENCH WATCH!
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUBS: Son, Janssen, Vorm, Trippier, Sissoko, Wimmer, Winks
STOKE CITY SUBS: Muniesa, Berahino, Afellay, Diouf, Cameron, Imbula, Given
Son Heung-min having to settle for a place among the Tottenham subs this afternoon, then, as does regular squad member Vincent Janssen. Berahino was tipped to start this afternoon's match, as touched upon a little earlier, but he is made to wait for his first start since West Brom's defeat to Bournemouth in September. Both teams have plenty of midfield options to turn to should they be required, including former Barcelona man Ibrahim Afellay in Stoke's case.
Both Mauricio Pochettino and Mark Hughes have named unchanged starting lineups this afternoon. In Stoke City's case, they have had an extended two-week break to prepare for today's game, which they spent in the Middle East training in sunnier climates. Tottenham Hotspur have had a more congested recent programme, competing on two fronts in the FA Cup and Europa League, but their manager sees no need to rotate this afternoon.
Spurs head into this match on the back of a tough recent run, but they can climb back into second place this afternoon should they take advantage on their top-six rivals' inactivity. It all looked so bright for the Lilywhites after thrashing West Brom in mid-January - their seventh win on the spin - which helped them stand out as Chelsea's most serious challengers at the top of the Premier League.
They have since drawn with Manchester City, which is a more than decent result on the face of it, particularly after finding themselves two goals down at one point, while also dropping points away to Sunderland not so long ago and losing to an out-of-form Liverpool side in their last league outing. Much has been made of Tottenham's disappointing form against their fellow big-name sides, but they do tend to enjoy themselves against the so-called lesser lights in the division - Stoke included.
The Premier League has taken a back seat over the past two weeks, though, which no doubt came at the wrong time for Pochettino as he would have been desperate to quickly move on from that surrender to Liverpool - they simply did not turn up at Anfield, or at least not until it was far too late. They did make it through to the last eight of the FA Cup, however, after edging past Fulham on the back of a rather fortunate win over Wycombe Wanderers, before seeing their Euro hopes come to a crashing halt.
The obvious positive to take from their 3-2 aggregate defeat to Gent is that there are now far less fixtures to cram into their schedule between now and the middle of May. The downside is that they appear to be living up to their 'Spursy' tag, after stuttering at just the wrong time when they were battling on three fronts. There is plenty of time to put that right, of course, with Millwall to come in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and a winnable home match against Stoke today to move into second in the Premier League.
Overall it is just three wins in their last eight for Tottenham, two of which have come against lower-league opposition in the FA Cup, altering the mood around White Hart Lane and forcing Pochettino to answer those same-old questions about the mental strength of this side. This is a strange weekend in the Premier League calendar, though, with Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United not playing, while Liverpool are not in action until tomorrow evening when facing a seemingly doomed Leicester City side in the East Midlands.
One other top-six side has been in action this weekend - runaway leaders Chelsea, who returned to winning ways with a home triumph over Swansea City. Not the most comfortable of victories for them, and they could well have found themselves a goal down had the Swans seen a big penalty call go their way, but in the end they had their Spanish trio to thank for earning three more points en route to a straightforward title success. Thirteen points is not the margin on Spurs, who have surely admitted defeat.
DID YOU KNOW? For all of the doom and gloom surrounding Tottenham Hotspur over the past fortnight, they have lost just one of their last 10 Premier League outings and have collected 23 points from the last 27 on offer. The Lilywhites have also won seven home league matches in succession, keeping a clean sheet in the last three of those, with three more points today enough to equal their previous best of eight in a row set between March and August 2009.
I mentioned the deficit on league leaders Chelsea being 13 points at the start of play, well more importantly they could open up a four-point margin on fifth-place Liverpool with a win today. Nailing down a Champions League spot will be the priority for Pochettino, before perhaps trying to put the hoodoo of continually finishing below Arsenal to bed. Next up for the Lilywhites after this match is the visit of Everton next weekend, before then facing Millwall and Southampton on successive Sundays.
This is the second match in a run of five-successive home matches for Tottenham, in fact, albeit with one of those being played at Wembley. Much has been made of their struggles at the national stadium, but they must be sorted out next term as they will be playing all of their home Premier League games there while the new ground is being built. The exit from Europe was undoubtedly a negative for Pochettino and his men, though it does at least mean they can focus on success in two domestic competitions.
Tottenham Hotspur tasted defeat to Liverpool in their last Premier League outing, producing one of their worst opening 45-minute displays under Mauricio Pochettino to succumb to a two-goal defeat. There was a temporary reprieve when easing past Fulham in the FA Cup a week ago, but the frailties were there to see in their two-legged affair with Gent either side of that cup match. Things will look far rosier come this evening with victory today, though, which will be enough to lift them into second place.
It has been more of a mixed campaign to date for Stoke City, meanwhile, who started the weekend in their usual position of ninth but have since dropped one spot following West Ham's draw with Watford on Saturday. They are well on course for yet another top-half finish under Hughes, and a fourth-successive year in ninth place, but it remains to be seen whether that will be considered a good campaign by the club's board members.
It took the Potters eight games to get off the mark at the beginning of the campaign, remember, a run that included four losses in succession and 13 goals conceded. They then slowly started to click back into gear, losing just one match over a two-month period to drag themselves back into top-half contention, and they have been looking up rather than down from that point on. A point is all that is required today to lift them back into ninth place, above West Ham.
More recently, City have lost just one of their last six matches - a feisty affair away to West Brom - and have taken 11 points from the last 18 on offer. The 1-0 win over Palace last time out, secured thanks to another Allen goal, got them firmly back on track, but they now face a daunting run of fixtures as they take on Spurs, Man City and Chelsea in three of their next four matches.
Throw into the mix a poor run of away form, which has seen them lose four of their last five away from the bet365 Stadium, and it is fair to say they have their work cut out. During that run, the Potters have conceded four goals in two of them and three in another, while overall they have scored just three of their own in four outings - one of which being an own goal. It is fair to suggest that the week-long trip to Dubai perhaps came at the right time for Stoke and their players.
Another daunting stat for Stoke - they have won just once in their last 20 trips to London; a 2-1 victory over Tottenham here in November 2014. Either side of that rare triumph in the English capital it is 12 defeats and seven draws - a run that they will be desperate to improve on if they are serious about finishing any higher than their regular position of ninth. With that tough run ahead, though, simply holding on to a place in the top half may be the immediate task.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Tottenham Hotspur have won their last two league meetings against Stoke City by a 4-0 scoreline, both of which came at the bet365 stadium. The Potters are unbeaten on their two most recent trips to White Hart Lane, however, having fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 last season and won 2-1 here in November 2014, as touched upon a few moments ago.
With kickoff now less than five minutes away, let us turn attention to some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Mauricio Pochettino: "We need to move on and forget [the defeat in the Europa League] and try to be focused on Sunday, and ready to fight because the [Premier League] doesn't wait for you. It always pushes you to give your best. Now is not the time to cry, but to move on and to start preparing for the game against Stoke."
Mark Hughes: "The key to the game on Sunday is to start brightly and get a foothold in the game. Hopefully we will be sharp from the off. They are a strong side, they are very impressive at home and we will be up against it. We are in good shape though. We disappointed ourselves against Spurs earlier in the season but we are a different proposition for them now. We have improved."
"Now is not the time to cry", says Pochettino, who knows that this is a crucial period in his Tottenham tenure. The former Southampton boss is certainly not under any pressure, having worked wonders during his short time in North London, but he must now prove that the Lilywhites are prepared to start challenging for silverware rather than drifting off time and time again. Hughes, meanwhile, claims that his side are now a different proposition compared to the side that lost by four goals last time these teams met. We are about to find out...
KICKOFF! We are up and running at White Hart Lane, where Tottenham Hotspur are going for an eighth home win in succession. Stoke City unbeaten in two trips here, remember, so it will not be easy to achieve that feat.
Walker works a yard of space on Pieters down the right, as he so often does, but the delivery is slightly overhit and goes straight through the box. City looking to form a solid shape early on, though Walker was able to find some space just then.
Kane goes to ground under pressure from Shawcross and Martins Indi, but he appeared to lose his footing prior to being floored by the defensive duo. Eriksen does superbly to cut into the box, only to play the ball right across goal with nobody around.
That really was superb from assist master Eriksen, who tucked the ball through the legs of Shawcross but failed to pick out Kane after he held his run. The home side completely dominating possession in these opening seven minutes or so.
Real panic at the back for Stoke, as Kane looks to fire away on the spin inside the box. The striker just could not find the angle to pull the trigger, though, and the visitors eventually cleared away the ball to Hughes's relief.
Stoke now relying on Crouch to hold the ball up a little in attack, which is working well to give the Potters a short breather. The ball had been exclusively in the other half of the field prior to this promising spell, which ends with Allen blasting wide.
That Allen shot from a tight angle, which failed to test Lloris, is the first effort we have seen this afternoon. Not enough to concern Tottenham, but they will need to make their dominance count or they risk falling behind.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-0 STOKE CITY (HARRY KANE)
A brilliant goal from Kane to make it 11 in 11 for him in all competitions. It was nothing more than a half-chance, but he put his foot through the ball on the half-volley and nestled it into the far corner to give Tottenham an early lead.
That is now 100 club goals for Kane, 84 of which have come for Spurs, and it also makes it 20 Premier League goals for the third season running - not bad going, at all! Spurs must now push on from their early breakthrough.
YELLOW CARD! The two-week rest doing Stoke no good so far - they have barely mustered an attack so far. Whelan arrives late and catches Vertonghen, seeing him earn a yellow. Some will argue it should have been a red because his studs were showing.
Vertonghen is still not back to his feet, clearly feeling that strong challenge from Whelan. Bardsley is given a talking to for dissent, but avoids joining his teammate in referee Jonathan Moss's book midway through this first half.
SHOT! Davies does well to charge forward and so nearly picked out Alli, who could not quite bring the attempted pass under control. Walker was racing in behind and sent a scissor-kick shot flying over the bar.
SAVE! Lloris has just prevented Stoke from drawing level from their first serious attacking move. Pieters sent in a teasing cross from the left, which Crouch - marginally offside - got on the end of. Lloris reacted quick and kept the shot out from close range with his foot.
YELLOW CARD! Adam joins central-midfield teammate Whelan in being shown a caution after clattering into Alli. The home fans were pleased to see him enter the book - he is very much a pantomime villain in these parts.
OFF THE BAR! Walker's cross looked destined for Davies if not for a big hand from Grant near the front post. Spurs win a corner, from which Vertonghen brings the ball under control and sends it crashing back off the bar.
CLOSE! Almost a stunner from Harry Kane, who already has one goal to his name this afternoon. Much like that goal he scored against Arsenal previously, he cut in from the left and sent the ball curling just inches wide of the far post with his right boot.
SAVE! Stoke break from a Spurs corner, but Arnautovic cannot find his teammate when left two-against-two. Spurs then win a free kick and work it short to Walker, whose belter had to be helped over by Grant.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2-0 STOKE CITY (HARRY KANE)
It is another brilliantly taken goal for Kane, who this time picks out the bottom corner with his left boot. Spurs are deserving of this two-goal lead, which was given to them by Kane's strike from the edge of the box at the end of a corner.
Spurs have been so dominant in the opening 36 minutes of this match, creating a few good chances and testing Grant throughout. Kane's goals are the difference so far, while Crouch has had the Potters' one and only opening.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 3-0 STOKE CITY (HARRY KANE)
Stoke have been on the end of a couple of four-goal thrashings in this fixture in recent seasons, and this one is again heading that way. Kane has his third of the afternoon and we have not even reached half time! The latest came from a free kick, as he took range from 25 yards out and was helped by a big deflection off Crouch.
Prior to that third Kane goal, Adam was lucky to avoid a second yellow for a trip on Alli. Arnautovic has entered the referee's book, though - the third Stoke player to be booked in this miserable first half in North London.
Seen a few replays of that third Kane goal now, and it will almost certainly be credited to him even if it did take a huge deflection off the wall. Looked to be on target, which is essentially all that matters. Three hat-tricks in nine games!
This disastrous first half for Stoke is nearly at an end. Kane nearly added his fourth a few moments ago but he could not quite get on the end of a cross into the box, and Stoke still have just a little dignity intact.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 4-0 STOKE CITY (DELE ALLI)
Unbelievable! Spurs have a fourth of the half, matching the tally scored against Stoke in their last two meetings. Kane did all the hard work, producing a world-class flick on the right-hand side and sending a cross in for Alli to slide into the net.
HALF TIME: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 4-0 STOKE CITY
Referee Jonathan Moss puts Stoke out of their misery, but they still have another 45 minutes of this onslaught to come. It really has been men against boys throughout, with the Potters' only chance being squandered by Crouch from close range. That aside, Tottenham are deserving of their four-goal lead because they have been superb from that first whistle.
It took 15 minutes for Tottenham to get up and running, as star man Kane made the most of the first half-chance that fell his way by putting his boot through the ball and picking out the far corner. Spurs were certainly in a confident mood, despite winning just three of their last eight prior to this thrashing, with Kyle Walker blazing a scissor-kick attempt over the bar.
A key moment in the match arrived 25 minutes in after Hugo Lloris kept out Peter Crouch from close range with a big reaction save, giving Tottenham the warning they needed to click back into top gear. Jan Vertonghen sent one shot crashing back off the bar as his long wait for a goal went on, while Walker and Kane both came close to adding a second.
That key second goal did arrive soon after, though, and it was Kane who bagged it with another brilliantly-taken shot, sending the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box directly from a corner. Five minutes later the hat-trick was complete when Kane put his foot through a free kick and, via a big deflection off former Spur Peter Crouch, got the beating of Lee Grant for a third time. A fourth Tottenham treble for the Englishman, putting him alongside Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe to reach that tally, was followed up by an equally impressive assist prior to the break.
Kane superbly flicked the ball past his opponent on the right-hand side and sent in a teasing cross for Dele Alli to slide home at the back post, making it the first time Tottenham have scored four first-half goals in a league game in five years. Very much game over at White Hart Lane, then, and now a case of damage limitation for Mark Hughes and his damaged stars.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUBS: Son, Janssen, Vorm, Trippier, Sissoko, Wimmer, Winks
STOKE CITY SUBS: Muniesa, Berahino, Afellay, Diouf, Cameron, Imbula, Given
RESTART! We are back under way at White Hart Lane, where Spurs boast a four-goal lead. No changes made by Hughes at the break, surprisingly, so Berahino is being made to wait even longer for his usual substitute appearance.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! A potential blow for Pochettino now, as Alderweireld goes to ground and is unable to shake off the knock picked up. Kevin Wimmer is the man introduced, with Spurs sticking to their current system.
Exhibition stuff from Tottenham now, with the points already very much in the bag. Alli attempts the spectacular by sending an overhead kick over the bar. Would not bet against the hosts adding to their tally at this rate.
Stoke have restricted their opponents to minimal openings in the final third in this second half. A case of potentially 'winning' the second half for them to take some sort of positive out of a match that was all over by the break.
Kane will fancy his chances of getting a fourth, which he nearly found from a cross into the box. The Englishman could not quite reach it on the leap, and he clattered into the post for his troubles. Looks find to continue, though!
SAVE! Stoke's best spell of the match so far. The visitors win a corner, which is cleared away with ease following a disappointing Adam delivery, but they win themselves a corner. Adam gets a shot on target but Lloris was there to help it aside.
STOKE CITY SUB! Superb save from Grant to keep out Dier's flick, but the offside flag had already been raised. Crouch and Adam have not been replaced by Berahino and Affelay as City look for a consolation goal.
Stoke have just about had the better of this second half. Shame that Spurs have been unable to push on from their dominant first-half showing, but a case of remaining professional to see things through with minimal fuss.
A bit of a melee in the box, as Dier looks to prod the ball over the line but sees the ball blocked. Stoke break but all they have to show for their latest attack is a corner, which is taken by Allen and cleared away by Dele.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! Winks is on in place of Vertonghen, meaning Pochettino will now shuffle his pack slightly. Has not quite happened for the Lilywhites this half, but all the hard work was done in opening 45 minutes.
YELLOW CARD! Wimmer is cautioned for a foul on Arnautovic. The cross comes in by Davies is there to clear away, with a little under 25 minutes of this one-sided affair left to come. No real sign of a fifth goal.
No question that City have looked the more threatening in this second half, but they have just the one Adam shot to show for it. Pieters sends in a cross from the left which Lloris is there to easily collect, as we edge into the final quarter of the match.
A decent attempt from substitute Winks, whose shot deflects over the bar with Grant rooted to the spot. Kane and Walker nearly link up in the final third but a breakdown in communication sees the ball roll right the way through.
SAVE! Grant pulls off another top save to stop Kane bagging a fourth of the afternoon. The Englishman again looked to pick out the bottom corner from range, but this time the Stoke keeper was equal to it.
Both managers still have a change available to make, so could we see Spurs striker Janssen over the next 15 minutes? Seems like a good chance to get his confidence up, with Stoke shipping goals galore this afternoon.
Tottenham's energy levels certainly not dropping, despite this tough run of fixtures. A two-week hiatus clearly working against Stoke, who failed to turn up in the first half. Better second half, but not enough to warrant a goal.
Now approaching the final 10 minutes at White Hart Lane, and I'm sure both managers will happily take full time right about now. Spurs pressing for a fifth but not really going all out to get it, while Stoke have failed to create any openings of their own.
Shouts for a Spurs pen rejected by Jonathan Moss, who adjudged that the ball did not hit Shawcross on the hand. The last 15 minutes have been played almost exclusively in Stoke's half of the field, as Eriksen blasts well over the bar.
STOKE CITY SUB! Geoff Cameron is introduced for his first appearance in four months. Whelan, booked early in the match, is the man to be replaced. Pochettino waiting to make his third and final alteration of the game.
An explosive first half but a rather poor spectacle for the neutral in this second half. Had just a few shots, the best of which saw Kane force Grant into a fine sprawling save. Spurs just happy to run down the clock now in front of their jubilant fans.
Closest we have come to a fifth in a while, as Walker's side-footed attempt is kept out by Grant. No Spurs players could react to the loose ball, which Martins Indi got to first to concede a corner. Now into the final four minutes of normal time.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! Hat-trick hero Kane is replaced by Son, earning a rousing reception as he leaves the field. No run-out for Janssen, then, who remains on the periphery at White Hart Lane after a disappointing maiden campaign.
YELLOW CARD! Alli goes close to a second, before Wanyama lunges in on Allen to earn a yellow card. Allen unhappy with it but falls short of retaliating. Just one minute of added time to come at White Hart Lane.
FULL TIME: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 4-0 STOKE CITY
Referee Jonathan Moss blows for full time, meaning a nice straightforward afternoon for Tottenham Hotspur. It was game over from the moment Harry Kane blasted home his third of the match just 37 minutes in, with Dele Alli putting the icing on the cake with a fourth soon after. A quieter second half followed, but there is no taking the gleam off this result.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at White Hart Lane. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while updates from the La Liga clash between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid can be found here. Thanks for joining!
