Hello and welcome to to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Tottenham Hotspur and Hull City at White Hart Lane. The Tigers have improved somewhat since a recent six-game losing run by taking five points from the last 15 on offer, but they are still inside the bottom three and in desperate need of some more wins over the festive period.

Spurs are battling it out at the opposite end of the division, meanwhile, where they currently find themselves three points behind Manchester City in fourth and three points ahead of Manchester United in sixth. Their current position is looking very cosy at the moment, then, but finishing outside the top four would mean a bad season for the Lilywhites, so it is imperative that they put this recent sticky patch of form behind them with a nice run of games to look forward to.

TEAM NEWS!

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR XI: Lloris, Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose, Dier, Wanyama, Sissoko, Eriksen, Dele, Kane

HULL CITY XI: Marshall, Maguire, Dawson, Davies, Elmohamady, Livermore, Huddlestone, Clucas, Robertson, Snodgrass, Diomande

Let us start by checking out the visiting team, because boss Mike Phelan has decided to go with an unchanged XI from the 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday. The Tigers had no new injury issues to contend with ahead of this first midweek league clash of the campaign, with the only question mark perhaps coming between the sticks after David Marshall conceded three more in that dramatic home match with the Eagles.

Shaun Maloney returned from a back injury to take up a place on the bench last time out, and he is again among the back-up options here tonight. Hull have four ex-Spurs players in their ranks, three of whom start this one - Jake Livermore, Tom Huddlestone and Michael Dawson all looking to pull one over on their former side. Ryan Mason also spent more than a decade in the Lilywhites' youth and senior sides before jumping ship earlier this year, but he misses out on inclusion this evening.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has made two changes to his starting lineup from the 1-0 loss to Manchester United on Sunday, meanwhile, bringing in Eric Dier and Moussa Sissoko in place of Son Heung-Min and the injured Mousa Dembele. Many perhaps felt that Georges-Kevin N'Koudou would have been a better option in place of Son for this one, with Hull likely to sit back for the majority of the game, but Pochettino has instead gone with Sissoko following his cameo from the bench at Old Trafford.

Vincent Janssen is still out with an ankle injury, but Toby Alderweireld is fit enough to retain his place in the heart of defence after his recent injury layoff - a big boost for the hosts. It is the strongest possible back five, in fact, including Hugo Lloris in goal, While further forward Dier comes into the side to partner Vincent Wanyama in that two-man engine room.

This match could well be about just how successfully Tottenham can break Hull down, which stats suggest should not be all that difficult due to the Tigers' inability to keep opponents out. Dele Alli will be key to creating things in that final third, selected alongside Sissoko and Eriksen - the latter of whom has three goals and two assists in his last four games after a fairly slow start to the campaign. Striker Harry Kane, meanwhile, has nine goals this term; scoring in five out of seven since his return from injury.

BENCH WATCH!

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUBS: Vorm, Trippier, Davies, Winks, Onomah, Nkoudou, Son

HULL CITY SUBS: Jakupovic, Meyler, Maloney, Weir, Henriksen, Mason, Bowen

Full-backs Keiran Trippier and Ben Davies once again sit in reserve, with Kyle Walker and Danny Rose instead preferred. It is not the strongest of benches named by Spurs, in truth, which perhaps explains why Pochettino is desperate to bring in some January reinforcements. Son is the only established difference maker among their subs, while Hull can call upon former Spurs midfielder Ryan Mason if required.

Mauricio Pochettino making two changes to his side for the visit of Hull City, then, bringing in Eric Dier and Moussa Sissoko for Son Heung-Min and Mousa Dembele. An unchanged XI named by Mike Phelan for what should be one of the trickier tests of the season against Tottenham Hotspur tonight, with Robert Snodgrass - who has been directly involved in half of his side's 14 goals this season - handed a start despite the furore over his dive last weekend.

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A chance for Spurs to potentially move up to fourth place this evening, then, but that will require Manchester City to slip up in their meeting with Watford - not the most unlikeliest of results based on the Citizens' recent home results, granted, but still unlikely to happen on the face of it. Instead, the Lilywhites must just find a run of wins over these next few weeks and hope that their time will come; a few dropped points from those above them and all of a sudden things begin to look a little brighter once again.

Tottenham went 12 games unbeaten to kick off their season, remember, although they did draw far too often towards the end of that run and were already drifting prior to their defeat at Chelsea. That maiden loss at Stamford Bridge was followed up by an impressive victory over Swansea City here, showing a glimmer of what this side is capable of when they click into gear, but it was all far too casual in the narrow loss to Man United a few days back - two defeats in three.

Those two defeats from their last three have come in tricky games, though, with Spurs unlikely to be the last team to lose at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford this season. It has left them on the outside looking in, sitting in middle ground between Manchester's City and United in fifth, but their focus at this stage - according to the players and management, at least - is still very much on catching leaders Chelsea with more than half of the campaign still left to play.

Pochettino will certainly be looking for a performance more similar to the 5-0 thrashing of Swansea in their last outing here than the one we witnessed at Old Trafford, when they allowed United to pick up the three points with far too much ease. There was also that comeback win over CSKA Moscow here in the Champions League, albeit coming in what was essentially a dead-rubber, with Spurs already confirmed out of the competition and seemingly not particularly giving too much care about dropping into the Europa League.

Tottenham have not won back-to-back league games now since the very start of October, however, which will surely concern Pochettino. That could very well change between now and the New Year, with this winnable fixture against Hull followed up with games against Burnley, Southampton and Watford. With no European distractions, and an FA Cup tie against Aston Villa here still a month away, there is now a chance for the North London outfit to finally put a run of wins together and climb up the table.

Overall, Spurs have won only three of their last 13 games in all competitions - five of those ending in defeat. Pochettino admitted on the eve of this match that his side are finding it "very difficult" to keep afloat with the big boys of the division, having spent around £34m in the summer on new recruits; significantly less than the likes of Arsenal, Man United, Man City and currently leaders Chelsea. If overnight reports are to be believed, though, Spurs are about to make a move for Everton midfielder Ross Barkley when the winter window opens.

DID YOU KNOW? Tottenham Hotspur are unbeaten at White Hart Lane in the league this season, scoring 14 times and conceding just four across those seven games. Harry Kane has played a big part in that run, scoring five goals in his last three here - including two against Swansea City a little over a week ago - to highlight just why he is so important to this Spurs side.

Mauricio Pochettino interestingly claimed that Tottenham Hotspur are finding things "very difficult" when it comes to competing with their Premier League rivals in the spending stakes. The Lilywhites did strengthen their squad in the summer, but they did not recruit a standout name to take this club to the next level. Two defeats in their last three in the league and three wins from 13 overall in all competitions shows that improvement is required.

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Hull head into this game sitting one point from safety in 19th place, being kept off the bottom of the table by Sunderland only. The bottom half is quite congested at the moment, but there is now a three-point gap on a number of teams and the Tigers simply cannot allow that to keep on growing. While a point tonight seems unlikely on the face of it, other teams around them have picked up surprise results over the opening four months of the campaign.

Since their recent six-game losing run, Hull have taken five points from the last 15 on offer. Those back-to-back victories to begin the season, catching everyone by surprise, account for half of their 12 points at this stage of the season, though, without which they would now be down and out and essentially planning for life in the Championship before the midway point of the season even arrived. Phelan certainly has his work cut out, but will he be given the backing to recruit in a fortnight's time?

It is just the one win since August, coming at home to Southampton prior to the most recent international break, with a point against Crystal Palace on Saturday hardly ideal when they have been treading water for so long. What you can say about this City side, however, is that they have certainly improved results wise since the start of November and are just a couple of wins away from sitting in a nice position in mid-table. Hope is not lost quite yet.

Phelan's charges follow up this match with games against West Ham, Man City and Everton in the coming weeks - three tough fixtures and one that many will bill as being a must-win, despite it still being fairly early in the season. As touched upon a little earlier, though, while it does still remain relatively tight at the the bottom some teams are picking up points more consistently than others, so a bonus result against Spurs or City would do them the world of good.

Hull's tally of six goals in their last five is double that of their previous five games, though it is worth pointing out that half of those came in their 3-3 draw with Palace last time out. That really was a topsy-turvy affair, with the Tigers leading, then trailing, leading then settling for a draw following former player Fraizer Campbell's late strike. Defeat on their travels tonight would equal their club-record run of six in a row away, set from January to April 2010.

Another ominous stat - only Cagliari (37) have conceded more goals than Hull in Europe's top-five leagues so far this season. It may be enough to paint a bleak picture - and things do look pretty bad for the Tigers at the moment - but this is a funny division and you certainly would not bet your life savings against them picking up a point or more this evening. Spurs have yet to taste defeat here in the league this term, though they have hardly been at their free-flowing best in recent weeks, bar the 5-0 win over Swansea City.

With 10 minutes to go until kickoff at White Hart Lane, let us now check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.

Mauricio Pochettino: "It can be one possibility, that the expectation is higher. There are different aspects and maybe we didn't cope with the expectation. But if we see the result, today after 15 games we have 27 points - last season I think it was 26. Last season in that moment we had qualified for the next round of the Europa League and like now we are in the Europa League. We are in nearly the same position and last season it was 'wow, Tottenham'. Today the expectation is higher and for that we feel a bit disappointed."

Mike Phelan:"Every man and his dog has had his two pennies' worth picking up on [Snodgrass's dive]. In my point of view what Robert did was correct as far as the statement he put out. I thought he was pretty thorough, open and honest about it and hopefully we can move on from that. I did have a chat with him and I expressed my views - they'll stay personal - but he's well aware of his responsibilities. He's very honest, probably too honest sometimes and we look forward to his next performance."

Pochettino makes a good point, highlighting the fact that his side are now better or worse of than at this point 12 months ago. Back then the Lilywhites were at a crossroads of sorts, before putting a superb run together at the start of the year and becoming the only side to really ask any questions of eventual champions Leicester City as the season transpired. It was not to be on that occasion, as they eventually fell to third - inevitably fell to third! - and now there is more pressure on them to push on from where they left off.

Much of the pre-match talk from Hull's perspective centred around Robert Snodgrass's dive to win a penalty against Crystal Palace four days ago. Blatant it may have seemed, but the Scotland international claimed that he was merely jumping out of the way of the incoming challenge. There has now been a call for retrospective action to be taken in the future, but Snodgrass is free to play tonight - a massive boost for the visitors as he has scored five and set up two of his side's 14 goals.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Hull City have won only one of their 11 league trips to Tottenham Hotspur, drawing four and losing six of those. That sole victory came in October 2008 when coming out on top 1-0 in the first Premier League meeting between the two sides. Spurs have won five and drawn two of the seven fixtures since then, however, and come into this latest clash as the heavy favourites to keep that run going.

Both sets of players are now out on the field of play, with kickoff at White Hart Lane just a couple of minutes away. A good atmosphere inside the ground this evening, as Tottenham Hotspur know that another win on home soil tonight will see them keep the pressure on the top four - and potentially overtake Man City if results go their way. Hull City, meanwhile, desperately need points to stay afloat at the opposite end of the division.

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KICKOFF! We are up and running in North London, where Tottenham are quick out of the blocks and getting a shot on goal through Dele Alli. Well blocked away by a Hull City player in the end, but the hosts happy to remain patient.

Plenty of impetus from Spurs early on but they are having no luck at the moment, with Hull able to stand firm and block aside any attempted passes through. The longer the Tigers can keep things tight the more frustrated the hosts will become.

SHOT! Alli lays the ball off for Sissoko, who was able to get a shot away only for the ball to deflect into the hands of Marshall. From the next attack Eriksen so nearly picked out Alli, who saw the ball taken from his boot.

Spurs are bossing possession in these opening stages, as expected, being allowed to just knock it around in defence and make their way up the field. Hull playing what is essentially five at the back tonight, with their wing-backs sitting very deep.

Beautifully done from Alli, who creates an opening for himself but again sees the shot blocked away on the edge of the box. Only one side in Europe's top-five divisions - Cagliari - has conceded more goals than City this term, remember.

Spurs continuing to probe away at the moment, and at this rate it just appears to be a matter of time before they break in behind and open the scoring. Could be a long night if that proves to be the case, but Hull standing strong for now.

Vertonghen played the ball down the left for Rose, who in turn keeps his cool to cut it back for Christian Eriksen to do the rest. No mistake from the Denmark international, who blasted it into the roof of the net from just six yards out to keep his good run going.

SAVE! I said prior to that goal it could be a long night for Hull if they concede early on, and that is looking to be the case already. Alli found a little space and charged at the visitors' defence, before seeing his shot saved down low by Marshall.

YELLOW CARD! A long night for Hull, and potentially a long night in particular for one of their three centre-backs. Harry Maguire blocks the charging run of Sissoko and can have little complaints about going into the book.

Eriksen, on a real high after that breakthrough goal - his fourth in five outings - takes on the free kick which comes back off the wall. The follow-up attempt was not much better, in truth, with his volley always rising over the bar.

Perhaps just a case of Hull holding out for as long as possible now, ensuring that just the one goal remains between them and Spurs. Complete domination at the moment, though, with the visitors unable to get the ball into the opposition half.

SAVE! No respite for Hull at the moment, as they continue to knock it straight back to Spurs every time one of their players cuts out a pass. Still just the two shots on target for Spurs, though, while Livermore has just sent a simple shot down the middle for Lloris to collect up the other end.

They have been second best throughout but that Hull break shows that Spurs need a second before they can start to breath. Pochettino will want that second to arrive before the interval, too, so that he can potentially rotate things a little.

Nearly half-hour into the match now and it really has been one-way traffic throughout, bar one Hull counter a short while ago that ended in that Livermore shot on target. Pochettino will perhaps be a little concerned that there has been just one clear-cut chance so far.

Hull enjoying a tad more of the ball now, getting the ball into the box where Diomande goes down under a challenge from Rose. No penalty awarded, rightly so, and the City striker may have tweaked his hamstring slightly then.

SAVE! Well all of a sudden Hull have finally woken up and they perhaps should have been level. A ball from the left was met by Livermore towards the front post, but Lloris was across well to push the ball aside before it could creep into the bottom corner.

SAVE! Another shot on target for Hull, this time when a corner is cleared only as far as Elmohamady who sends an attempt right down the middle for Lloris to collect. Spurs counter and Kane drags one wide at the end of the move.

SAVE! A third save in quick succession, but this one is made by Marshall. A simple ball over the top was latched on to by Alli, who got between Elmohamady and Maguire with ease before taking the ball down and testing the Scotsman down low. Good stop.

Alli and Eriksen's movement causing Hull plenty of problems in this first half, but Marshall has been equal to two attempts. Spurs wanted a pen a little earlier when a cross came back of Maguire's arm, but it would have been incredibly harsh.

City just been unable to really get Snodgrass involved so far. They have certainly improved over the past 10 minutes, having sat back throughout the opening half hour of the match, but a second Spurs goal and the floodgates could well open.

Well this pretty much sums up Hull's problems at the back. Vertonghen is allowed to burst into the box, taking what seems like 100 touches of the ball despite losing control, but he cannot get away a shot on goal. Kane, stood five yards away, would have buried that.

Spurs are one goal away from this being an impressive first-half showing, although context is of course needed. Hull are shipping goals for fun this season, but it looks likely to be just the one-goal deficit at the break.

SHOT! Sissoko does well down the right-hand side, using his power and getting into the box before blasting one towards Kane. Far too much pace on the ball in the end, though, and the Englishman could merely turn it towards the front post for Marshall to collect.

Tottenham Hotspur take a one-goal lead into the interval, then, thanks to Christian Eriksen's close-range finish 14 minutes in. The Lilywhites have put together some impressive moves, with Eriksen and Dele Alli's movement a particular threat, but Hull City grew into things and did create a couple of half-chances of their own.

Hull, again going with a five-at-the-back system this evening, were offering Spurs far too much space to attack in the final third early on and probably should have fallen behind earlier than they did. Dele Alli's movement in particular was causing problems, and it was his lay-off to Moussa Sissoko - preferred to Son Heung-min - which provided the first shot on target.

Spurs did not have to wait too long to make the breakthrough, though, as Christian Eriksen maintained his impressive run in front of goal when blasting the ball into the roof of the net after being picked out by Danny Rose. David Marshall was called upon to keep out Alli's shot two minutes later, in an opening 30 minutes completely dominated by the home side.

Hull did manage to grow into things a little more as the first half transpired, however, and from pretty much nowhere Jake Livermore tested Hugo Lloris at his front post and Ahmed Elmohamady also sent in a shot from distance that was easily dealt with. That spell on top was short lived and City's weak backline was again exposed 40 minutes in when Alli simply got in between Elmohamady and Harry Maguire, took a touch to bring a long ball under control and sent a shot down low for Marshall to push aside.

There was still time for Harry Kane to send an effort wide when failing to adjust to Sissoko's blasted cross, while an unlikely source in Jan Vertonghen also drifted forward but was also unable to get the ball out of his feet when near the opposition goal. Plenty for both managers to ponder at the break, then, but will either make a change at the midway point?

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUBS: Vorm, Trippier, Davies, Winks, Onomah, Nkoudou, Son

HULL CITY SUBS: Jakupovic, Meyler, Maloney, Weir, Henriksen, Mason, Bowen

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RESTART! Hull City get us back up and running at White Hart Lane, already showing a little more attacking impetus to their game compared to the first half by getting the ball into the box. Walker a tad fortunate to get the ball and not the man, with the Tigers earning a corner.

Two corners in quick succession for the visitors, the latter a real beauty which is flicked towards the back-post area where a white shirt got there first. Hull with the attitude that they have nothing to lose; Spurs just sitting back for now.

SAVE! Spurs with their first real attacking move of the match, as some nice interplay allows Wanyama to take on a shot, which is easily kept out by Marshall. Pochettino just keeping an eye on things before making his first change.

Hull putting up a good account of themselves for the best part of 30 minutes now either side of half time, and it is they who have pretty much been on top so far in this second period. Still waiting for that second Spurs goal to kill things off, but no sign of it at the moment.

All the sides above Spurs in the table currently winning, incidentally, so there will not be much movement in the higher reaches of the table as things stand. Sunderland and Swansea both losing, meanwhile, so more incentive for Hull to claim a point.

Sweeper keeper Lloris is 25 yards from goal to clear the ball on the volley, denying Diomande who would otherwise have been through on goal. For the first time in the half Rose picks out Kane, who heads narrowly wide. Offside flag up, regardless.

Alli a little reluctant to shoot but the ball is well worked to Kane on the edge of the box. The shot looked to be heading for the far corner, only for Dawson to brilliantly dive in and head the ball aside before it could reach its intended target.

YELLOW CARD! Second caution of the evening for a Hull player, as Davies is penalised for his foul on Sissoko. Then comes some real drama, as Eriksen is shoved off the ball but does not get a penalty, before Hull break and Livermore is denied superbly by Lloris.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! Dele Alli has done well tonight, but he is now replaced by Harry Winks is now introduced with Tottenham just running out of attacking ideas in this second half. Still 28 minutes to go here!

A little harsh on Hull, perhaps, but Tottenham have surely sealed the points now thanks to Eriksen's second of the evening. It was similar to the first goal, but this time the attack came down the right-hand flank through Walker, who brushed off his man and sprayed the ball across the line for his teammate to tap in.

SAVE! Walker really in his groove now after bagging an assist, as he lets leash from range with a shot that dipped in front of Marshall. The Scot did well to just parry it, where a teammate was waiting to clear away.

HULL CITY SUB! Ryan Mason, who spent more than a decade as a Spurs player at youth and then senior level, is introduced in place of Clucas and is given a warm reception. Much different atmosphere around the ground now; home fans far more relaxed.

Another teasing cross from Walker, which this time makes its way right through the box without a telling touch. A little too easy for Spurs now, who are under little pressure and are good value to score a third before the night is out.

An assist apiece for Walker and Rose - the target will now surely be to retain that clean sheet up the other end. Not quite, because the latter has just burst forward and won his side a free kick, which Eriksen is likely to take.

Well that seals things! Eriksen within inches of completing his hat-trick, with his free kick superbly helped onto the post by the fingertips of Marshall. Wanyama was in the right place at the right time to knock the ball into an empty net.

SUBS! Harry Kane has been replaced by Son for the closing 12 minutes or so, giving him a welcome breather ahead of a hectic run of games. David Meyler also on in place of Livermore as far as the down-and-out visitors are concerned.

SAVE! Good attempt from Eriksen, who really is desperate for that hat-trick. Marshall was well positioned to keep it out, ensuring that the deficit remains at just the three goals heading into the final 10 minutes in North London.

HULL CITY SUB! Youngster Bowen is on in place of Snodgrass, who failed to truly turn up this evening. Hull did have a good spell midway through the first half, but no doubt that Spurs are worthy winners on the whole.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! Player constantly being disrupted now, with both managers just waiting for that full-time whistle. Joshua Onomah is the next academy product to be brought on for the hosts, replacing Sissoko who can be happy with his shift.

Hull being allowed to rack up some passes now, with Spurs not too fussed about sitting back. Pochettino will be disappointed if the clean sheet record slips away, but that looks unlikely in these closing moments here.

Referee Andre Marriner may put Hull out of their misery in the next few minutes, with minimal added time expected to be played. Both managers happy for that whistle for differing reasons, with this one over as a contest since that second Eriksen goal.

Spurs win a free kick 22 yards from goal - there is only one candidate to take it on! The ball comes back off the wall, but it falls nicely to Winks who is agonisingly close to adding a fourth of the evening. Three minutes of added time to be played.

"One Michael Dawson" is the cry from home fans, who are in a far more buoyant mood now compared to their early stages of this second half. Just 60 seconds or so to go now, with Spurs maintaining their positive home form in the Premier League.

Referee Andre Marriner blows his whistle for full time, meaning another decent result for Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. They may have lost back-to-back games on their travels, but a Christian Eriksen brace and a tap-in from Victor Wanyama proved enough to earn the Lilywhites a comfortable 3-0 victory over a flat Hull City side this evening.

That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events in North London. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from White Hart Lane - and the other games being played around the Premier League this evening - can be found elsewhere on the site shortly. Thanks for joining!