Harry Kane and Dele Alli, two of Tottenham's best players this season, got on the scoresheet twice each and Tottenham ran away with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Stoke City on Monday. As a result of that win, Spurs cut the gap to leaders Leicester City to five points with four games to go in the Premier League season.
Needing a win to take advantage of the two dropped points by Leicester, Spurs went about dismantling Stoke with such efficiency at the Britannia, that you could only marvel at the manner in which Mauricio Pochettino has moulded this young team into possible champions.
Kane opened the scoring for Tottenham, in just the ninth minute, with a marvellous strike. After taking the ball from Moussa Dembele, who had made a good run from the middle, Kane cut in from the right and thundered a strike into the corner of the net.
It took Tottenham a while to put the game to bed, with Alli doing that in the 67th minute with a delightful chipped finish. Kane then made it 3-0 four minutes later for his 24th goal of the Premier League season, before Alli added the gloss to the scoreline eight minutes from time.
"It was amazing, we feel very proud of our players and they deserve full credit, all the praise," Pochettino told the club's official website. "We showed character, passion, we were hungry and we enjoyed that 93 minutes.
"We've arrived at a crucial moment (of the season) at a very good level, we're happy with how we are and we need to continue pushing and putting the pressure on Leicester."
The final scoreline could have easily been bigger for Tottenham, who hit the woodwork twice, courtesy Christian Eriksen and Alli. But, the 4-0 win is good enough to keep Leicester City in their sights, with the league leaders now possibly playing their next two games without their talismanic striker Jamie Vardy, who will serve a minimum one-match suspension for his red card in the 2-2 draw against West Ham.
"You have to give them credit this evening because, to a man, they were absolutely fantastic," Stoke manager Mark Hughes said. "You certainly wouldn't bet against them catching Leicester and winning the title on the back of that performance.
"They are an outstanding team and were quicker to every ball, and had a bit more quality in key areas of the pitch. We struggled all evening to deal with their power and pace all over the pitch to be perfectly honest. They were more intelligent with their play and you can see why they are where they are in the league table at the moment."
