Harry Kane took his Premier League goals tally for the year to 33 as Tottenham Hotspur eased to a 5-1 win over Stoke City at Wembley Stadium.
A Ryan Shawcross own goal a quarter of the way into the match got the ball rolling for Spurs, before four more goals arrived in the second half.
Kane scored two in quick succession, either side of a composed finish from Dele Alli and a goal from Christian Eriksen on the counter-attack, with Shawcross then pulling back a consolation for the visitors.
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 Wembley Stadium. The Lilywhites have still yet to fully adapt to life at their temporary new home, already dropping nine points in their first seven top-flight games here, while a run of one win in six overall has left them well off the title pace.
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has yet to fully give up hope of making up the 18-point deficit on league leaders Manchester City - victory for the Citizens tomorrow, regardless of this result at Wembley, could change that view - as he knows his side are experts at putting together positive streaks of form over the festive period. Their recent form means that three points today against an inconsistent Stoke side is imperative.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Lloris; Trippier, Dier, Vertonghen, Davies; Dembele, Winks; Son, Eriksen, Alli; Kane
SUBS: Vorm, Aurier, Foyth, Rose, Sissoko, Lamela, Llorente
This Tottenham side pretty much picks itself these days, with Pochettino having a core group of players that he selects week-in, week-out, as well as four capable full-backs who are happy to rotate. The Argentinian coach has been forced into making one change on the back of last weekend's draw at Vicarage Road, however, as Davinson Sanchez picked up a red card in that one and starts a three match domestic ban today.
Harry Winks returns to the side, presumably meaning a flat-back four for the Lilywhites - Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies playing as full-backs, rather than wing-backs. Spurs are still without Toby Alderweireld, which will likely remain the case until well into the New Year, so Eric Dier fills in at centre-back alongside Jan Vertonghen - Juan Foyth only being deemed good enough for the bench, it seems.
Further forward Pochettino sticks with his favoured frontline on the back of the 1-1 draw against Watford, utilising Son Heung-min, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli just off top scorer Harry Kane. Alli may have struggled for form in the top flight this term, but he has scored in all three previous appearances against Stoke, including two in the 4-0 away win last term, while Kane has six in three against the Potters.
STOKE CITY TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Butland; Zouma, Shawcross, Wimmer; Edwards, Fletcher, Allen, Pieters; Shaqiri, Choupo-Moting, Diouf
SUBS: Grant, Berahino, Afellay, Adam, Cameron, Crouch, Ramadan
As far as the visitors are concerned, I make this a 3-4-3 formation - or something close to that - with Mame Biram Diouf, Maxim Choupo-Moting and Xherdan Shaqiri all named in the starting lineup. Mark Hughes makes two changes to the side that beat Swansea City 2-1, replacing the injured Bruno Martins Indi - likely facing around two months on the sidelines - with former Spurs defender Kevin Wimmer in the first of those alterations.
The other switch sees 18-year-old full back Tom Edwards brought into the side in place of Peter Crouch, who is one goal short of becoming the Potters' outright all-time leading goalscorer in the Premier League. There is positive news for Hughes elsewhere, meanwhile, as Jack Butland came through his return to action unscathed last time out and is again selected between the sticks for this showdown.
Edwards and Erik Pieters will again operate as wing-backs, alongside the midfield duo of Darren Fletcher and Joe Allen, while the aforementioned forward trio of Choupo-Moting, Diouf and Shaqiri will look to do some damage up top. There is no doubt that Shaqiri is not by far the most important player in this Stoke side, having been directly involved in nine goals in his last 11 league appearances - four of his own and five assists.
Harry Kane once again starts up top for a Tottenham Hotspur side showing one change from their last Premier League outing. The England international has a good record against Stoke, finding the net six times in the last three meetings, while overall in 2017 he has 30 top-flight goals to his name so far. Only Alan Shearer (36), Robin van Persie (35) and Thierry Henry (34) have managed more in a single calendar year.
Tottenham head into this match sitting sixth in the Premier League table, 18 points adrift of a formidable Manchester City side at the summit. Four games without a win since beating Crystal Palace 1-0 on November 5 has seen them slide down the division; a blip that started with a 2-0 away defeat at the hands of North London rivals Arsenal. The Lilywhites have taken two points from a possible 12 since the international break.
Pochettino admits that talk of winning the title is now a little far-fetched due to the form of Man City, who face their toughest test yet when taking on second-place Manchester United at Old Trafford in a little over 24 hours' time. It will be interesting to see if the Spurs boss changes his stance on the one remaining domestic cup competition, then, as the FA Cup now offers the Lilywhites their best route to silverware.
Speaking to reporters earlier this week, Pochettino admitted that he is hopeful his side can build some momentum over the festive period, which has proved to be the case in the last two seasons - no side has a better set of results. There is certainly potential for the North London outfit to do exactly that, as they follow up the visit of Stoke with another home match against Brighton & Hove Albion here in four days' time.
RESULT! The full-time whistle has just sounded in the day's early kickoff, and it is one mighty shock at the London Stadium. West Ham United, previously without a win under David Moyes, have edged out Chelsea 1-0 on home soil to boost their survival hopes. For the defending champions, though, it is a first defeat in eight and Spurs can now close the gap to four points with a win here.
A big boost for Spurs ahead of kickoff, then, and Pochettino certainly remains relatively positive despite his side's shaky recent form. The ex-Southampton manager was right to point out that this season's tally after 15 games is similar to this stage in both of the last two campaigns. They are currently two points worse off than 12 months ago, before pushing on and finishing in their highest ever Premier League position.
After playing host to Stoke and Brighton in the coming days, Spurs then head to Manchester City on December 16, by which point they should have a clearer picture of what it is they will be challenging for come next May - the title or something else. Most recently, the 1-1 draw at Vicarage Road seven days ago was a decent enough result on the face of it, having been forced to play the final 38 minutes of the match a man light.
That draw did leave Spurs with just one win in their last six Prem games, however, and it is difficult to therefore argue against their current standing of sixth place. Away from the English top flight, Pochettino's men are currently flying in Europe, finishing top of Group H above Champions League holders Real Madrid to give supporters hope of a run deep into the competition.
The 3-0 win over APOEL in midweek can at as a start point to build some momentum, with Fernando Llorente on the scoresheet in that dead rubber to get off the mark at the 17th attempt in Tottenham colours. The Champions League does not return until February, though, so the Lilywhites - as Pochettino stated earlier this week - can now fully focus on the Premier League between now and then, as well as a couple of FA Cup ties.
DID YOU KNOW? Tottenham Hotspur's tally of four league defeats in 2017-18 is already as many as they suffered in the entirety of last season. They could also go five without a win for the first time in a single season since March 2012 if they fail to pick up maximum points today, which would not only kill off their title hopes for good but also leave them at risk of missing out on the top four.
Mauricio Pochettino has seen his Tottenham Hotspur side fail to win any of their last four Premier League matches since the international break, but they have sailed through in the Champions League as group winners. Matching or bettering last term's second-place finish in the top flight is now surely out of the question, meaning that Pochettino may change his stance on the FA Cup when it gets up and running next month.
Stoke find themselves at a crossroads of sorts heading into this match, sitting 13th in the table and seeking back-to-back wins for the first time this season. The Potters picked up a big win over bottom side Swansea City last weekend to move six points clear of the drop zone, and the top half - their target for the season - is now just a couple of points out of their reach.
City boss Mark Hughes has become somewhat of an expert when it comes to picking up wins just when it matters, effectively doing the bare minimum required to keep himself in the job. A little harsh, maybe, but there is no doubt that the Potters' fanbase has slowly started to turn since last season's disappointing league finish. These upcoming games over the festive period are crucial to the Welshman's hopes of winning over supporters once again.
Not since early January have the Potters won back-to-back games, which goes a long way to emphasising just how inconsistent they have been, and they have just four wins to their name all term. The Staffordshire side have a nice run of fixtures to come after this one, however, as they take on West Ham United and West Bromwich Albion at the bet365 Stadium, and have trips to Burnley and Huddersfield Town to look forward to before December 30.
One win in five - against a dreadful Swansea side - is hardly great form, though, and Hughes knows that more points need to be put on the board in the coming weeks. Sixteen points from 15 games is the Potters' lowest during their time in the Premier League. Away from home, meanwhile, City have two wins and 10 points from their last 15, and have lost 12 of the last 19 away from the bet365 Stadium.
Defensively speaking, Stoke also need to shore up at the back as they have shipped 30 goals so far this campaign - only West Ham United, with 32 conceded in one game more, have a worse record. It will be interesting to see how the three-man defence works against the Lilywhites this afternoon, with young Edwards being asked to provide some width down the right and Pieters operating down the left.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Tottenham Hotspur have won 4-0 in each of their last three Premier League meetings with Stoke City, and are now aiming to become the first English side to win four in a row by that scoreline against a single opponent. The Potters' only top-flight win in their last seven attempts against Spurs was in November 2014, losing three and drawing three since then.
With kickoff at Wembley Stadium now a little over five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Mauricio Pochettino: "It is not an excuse, but when the opponents come to play against us at Wembley it's a massive, historic day [for them], and that is a massive motivation. You're not only competing with the opponent but with the extra motivation too. I hope [the win over] APOEL has changed the dynamic but for every club you have periods where you struggle. To keep the same level for 10 months is so difficult for a group of players. We have a strong squad with enough quality. We trust in ourselves."
Mark Hughes: "Teams are setting their stall out this year against them and maybe at times they haven't played as fluidly as they have in previous years, so that has affected them. Whenever we have gone up against them though they have always presented serious questions to us, which for the best part we haven't been able to answer. We will be looking to address that, so we have to be better and be tougher to beat than we have been in the past."
Hard to disagree with Pochettino's thoughts there. From the best home form last time out to a distinctly average one this time around - Tottenham desperately need to start picking up wins against the division's lesser sides on home soil or else even the top four will be out of reach before too long. Hughes admits that his side have to be "better and tougher" than in previous encounters with today's opponents, meanwhile, having lost be a combined 12-0 scoreline in the last three games.
Both sets of players have made their way down the Wembley tunnel, with kickoff in the English capital now just a couple of minutes away. Tottenham seeking a first league win in five attempts this afternoon to close the gap on the teams above them; Stoke, at the other end of the table, are after back-to-back wins in the Premier League for the first time since the turn of the year.
KICKOFF! Stoke City get us under way at Wembley Stadium, aiming to join a growing list of sides to have left here with a share of the spoils. A big afternoon ahead for Tottenham Hotspur, too, as they look to capitalise on Chelsea's earlier slip.
Spurs trying to find their feet in the early stages of the game. Visitors Stoke sporting their traditional red and white home strip this afternoon, by the way, which is far from ideal with the Lilywhites also wearing a white kit.
The home side seeing plenty of the ball at the moment but struggling to make any inroads - a familiar tale here against the lesser sides. Stoke will no doubt have done their research and arrived here with a gameplan to leave with a point or more.
Still waiting for this game to liven up a little, with no attempts at either end yet. Tottenham have seen nearly three-quarters of the ball, but at the moment they are having to remain patient in search of a clear-cut opportunity.
SAVE! A first attempt of the match, which draws a first save of the match. All very simple for Jack Butland, who was well positioned to keep out Son Heung-min's long-range drive after the Spurs forward cut in from the right-hand side.
Stoke not really in any rush to get the ball forward, instead allowing Spurs to do most of the attacking. The Lilywhites have created one opening so far, which Son could not make the most of as his shot was his straight at Jack Butland.
Joe Allen is given a chance to run at the opposition defence, but pace is not one of the Welshman's qualities. Dier got across and got a foot to the ball, helping it behind for a corner which came to little. Stoke growing into things now.
CHANCE! Christian Eriksen with a decent delivery into the box, with the ball being cut out before Kane could get on the end of it. Prior to that, Shawcross's header went straight through to Lloris before Diouf could flick it home.
Harry Kane, boasting that impressive record of six goals in his last three games against Stoke, has yet to really get on the ball. A quiet start to the match for both keepers, with neither having to make a serious save of note thus far.
Definite sense of momentum slowly being built by the hosts, who could have done with an early goal to help get them going. Pochettino will no doubt be happy enough with the way things are panning out, though this match is following a familiar pattern.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-0 STOKE CITY (RYAN SHAWCROSS, OWN GOAL)
Spurs take the lead in a Premier League game for the first time in a long while, courtesy of a Ryan Shawcross own goal. It was an unfortunate moment for the centre-back, as Son's cross appeared to flick up and hit him in the face before flying past Butland.
SAVE! Big, big chance for a second Tottenham goal. After successfully defending the corner, Son was able to run the length of the field. The South Korean had teammates alongside him, but he took the shot on and was denied by the legs of Butland.
Spurs are just about the best side around at protecting leads, winning 24 of the last 25 games that they have scored first in. Finding that first goal has been their biggest problem in recent weeks, but they are up and running here in the first half.
SAVE! Good stop from Butland, who got down well to push aside Christian Eriksen's free kick. Dele Alli was first to it, but the offside flag was quickly up. Tottenham looking good value for a second goal here against a sluggish Stoke side.
Since edging in front Spurs have wasted one glorious opportunity through Son, who tested Butland down low but should have done better, and seen Eriksen come close from a free kick. Stoke may well find themselves two down come the interval.
SAVE! Zouma does well to stop Son's cross coming in at the front post. More than half an hour played here and all Stoke have done so far is hold off the Tottenham pressure, with Dembele's first shot of the day bouncing awkwardly in front of Butland.
Despite Tottenham's dominance, Kane has been quiet up top. The English striker was picked out in the middle moments ago, only for the offside flag to correctly deny him. Can the Lilywhites keep this momentum going into the interval?
MISS! Here is a real rarity - Harry Kane missing a one-on-one! The striker, who scored a 23-minute hat-trick against Stoke last term, slotted the ball wide of the post with just international teammate Jack Butland to beat.
Tottenham have completely dominated this first half, turning possession into chances since making the breakthrough. The Lilywhites are at their best when ahead in matches, winning 24 of the last 25 games they have taken the lead in.
Clean sheets have been hard to come by for Spurs of late, though, so there is always hope for Stoke at 1-0. Hughes may well welcome half time right about now in the hope of his side emerging for the second half far more fired up.
Dele unlucky not to take the ball through a sea of bodies, eventually being denied on the edge of the box. Stoke dropping deeper and deeper at the moment, barely being given a chance to get the ball into the opposite half of the field.
Disappointing attempt from Son, who smashed the ball high over the bar on the half-volley after Trippier's cross was half-cleared. The hosts certainly want to bag a second goal before the whistle goes for half time - they may well get it.
HALF TIME: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-0 STOKE CITY
Some hope for Stoke at the end of the opening 45 minutes, as an aerial battle was won inside the box when the ball eventually arrived. Home keeper Hugo Lloris did not have a save to make, though, and Tottenham have a fairly comfortable one-goal lead at the break.
Tottenham soon settled into their rhythm, giving Jack Butland something to think about 10 minutes into the match through a Son Heung-min drive that lacked precision. A flicked Ryan Shawcross header soon after, slightly out of Mame Biram Diouf's reach was just about the best the visitors could offer in a first half that Spurs went on to dominate.
The opening goal did have more than slice of luck to it, however, as Son's cross from the left hit Kurt Zouma and then an unfortunate Shawcross on its way past Butland. From that point on it was a question of whether the Lilywhites would add to their scoring before the break, with both Son and Harry Kane wasting one-on-one opportunities - the South Korean being denied down low and his teammate missing the target entirely.
Butland, making his second-successive appearance following a month-long spell on the sidelines, was also required to keep out a Christian Eriksen free kick and Mousa Dembele shot from 25 yards. Stoke, despite being second best almost throughout the first half, are still very much in this game at the midway point as Spurs failed to make the most of their chances.
BENCH WATCH!
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUBS: Vorm, Aurier, Foyth, Rose, Sissoko, Lamela, Llorente
STOKE CITY SUBS: Grant, Berahino, Afellay, Adam, Cameron, Crouch, Ramadan
RESTART! We are back up and running at Wembley Stadium, where Tottenham hold a one-goal lead over Stoke. No changes made by either manager at the half-time interval, so it is as you were for the next 15 minutes or so.
Good defending from Stoke to prevent their opponents getting in behind once again. Spurs need a second to kill this game off, but until they find it the Potters still have hope of snatching something, much like Swansea and Burnley - among others - have achieved.
SAVE! A first save of the afternoon for Lloris to make, as he find himself in the right place to keep out Shawcross's back-post volley. Prior to that Kane hammered the ball over the bar from a decent position, though the offside flag was also up.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2-0 STOKE CITY (SON HEUNG-MIN)
For the third time today the hosts find themselves in behind one-on-one. Unlike earlier in the game, Son this time keeps his composure after being played through by Dele and tucks the ball past Butland to surely earn all three points for Spurs.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 3-0 STOKE CITY (HARRY KANE)
Stoke heading for another heavy defeat at the hands of Stoke here as Kane, who missed a big chance in the first half, this time leapt highest in the box to head home from a Ben Davies cross. Tottenham really enjoying themselves now - they deserve this scoreline.
SAVE! Great stop from Lloris, who has had barely anything to do all afternoon, as he keeps out Shaqiri from point-blank range. Spurs just need to remain professional now and see this one out for a first win in five league outings.
Tottenham cruising to three points then, with that Kane goal - his 32nd in the Premier League this calendar year - killing off Stoke for good. It came just a minute or so after Son's smart finish to double his side's tally.
Possibly just a case of damage limitation for the visitors now, as they attempt to avoid a fourth-successive 4-0 defeat against the Lilywhites. Should Spurs get another then it really could get messy as far as Hughes's men are concerned!
Hughes has still yet to make any changes, despite his side being outclassed. Shaqiri did come close to pulling one back a little earlier, but Lloris was there to keep it out and the hosts now look the more likely to find the game's fourth goal.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 4-0 STOKE CITY (HARRY KANE)
Kane has his second of the afternoon, and 33rd this calendar year, thanks to a smart finish from the edge of the box. 'Instinctive' is probably a better word to use - he hit the ball first time with his left foot to find a way past Butland.
SUBS! Edwards has had a tough afternoon out wide, but his misery is over as former Spurs striker Peter Crouch is on, likely meaning a much-needed change of shape. Lamela is also on for Alli in Tottenham's first change of the afternoon.
Will the change of shape bring a change in fortunes for the visiting side? The pressure had eased on Hughes following last weekend's much-needed win against Swansea, but a heavy loss here and all of a sudden the fans will begin to turn once more.
Spurs may well sit on this four-goal lead now just so they can say they are the first English side ever to beat a single opponents 4-0 in four-successive matches! On the basis of the last few minutes, a fifth may well follow before the 90 minutes are up.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 5-0 STOKE CITY (CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN)
Eriksen, previously out of form in the Premier League, adds his name to the scoresheet by firing across goal into the bottom corner at the end of a swift counter. This truly is getting embarrassing for the visitors now, as it often does against Tottenham.
STOKE CITY SUB! Shaqiri, Stoke's star play, has been taken off with this game well and truly over - it was as soon as the second goal went in, in truth. Geoff Cameron makes his return to action following a prolonged spell on the sidelines through concussion.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! Harry Winks has had a pleasant afternoon, again showing why he is so highly rated by Pochettino. The English youngster makes way, with Moussa Sissoko brought on for the final 11 minutes or so of this one-sided affair.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 5-1 STOKE CITY (RYAN SHAWCROSS)
A slight blemish on what will still be a comfortable victory for Spurs, as Lloris misses the corner and Shawcross is able to head into the net near the back post. It is the first time the central defender has scored at both ends of the field.
Tottenham really struggling to keep clean sheets this term, though that will hardly be on Pochettino's mind right now on the back of what will be a big win. A far happier afternoon for the Argentine compared to this time last week.
SAVE! Even on the end of a 5-1 thrashing, which could still get worse, Butland has produced some stunning saves. This latest one to deny Eriksen from eight yards out was just about the pick of the bunch. Could have been double figures if not for him!
Vertonghen looked well offside when the ball arrived in the box, but the flag stayed down and he should have done better when picked out from close range. Spurs may well be disappointed if they fail to score a sixth goal at this rate.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! Llorente has been brought on for Son, who has been on fire this afternoon. Still a couple of minutes for the incoming striker to make it two goals in two games, having got off the mark last time out.
FULL TIME: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 5-1 STOKE CITY
Harry Kane took his Premier League goals tally for the year to 33 as Tottenham Hotspur eased to a 5-1 win over Stoke City at Wembley Stadium. A Ryan Shawcross own goal a quarter of the way into the match got the ball rolling for Spurs, before four more goals arrived in the second half. Kane scored two in quick succession, either side of a composed finish from Dele Alli and a goal from Christian Eriksen on the counter-attack.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from Wembley Stadium. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from this and the day's other Premier League games can be found elsewhere on the side in due course. Thanks for joining!
