Tottenham Hotspur have claimed a convincing 4-1 win over London rivals West Ham United to close in on a top-four spot in the Premier League.
First-half goals from Harry Kane and Toby Alderweireld gave the Lilywhites a deserved two-goal lead at the break, before Kane fired home a second to continue his fine individual form ahead of Kyle Walker adding a fourth.
West Ham, who headed into this match on the back of their best ever start to a top-flight campaign after 12 games, pulled one back late on through Manuel Lanzini but this was an evening to forget for Slaven Bilic's men.
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The Hammers started slowly and, soon after Adrian had tipped Christian Eriksen's well-taken drive to safety, Kane latched on to Dele Alli's deflected shot to turn inside the box and fire home his opening goal.
It could have been a different story had Cheikhou Kouyate's overhead kick not crashed back off the crossbar with the scoreline still slender, but Spurs - who have now lost just two of their last 20 at home - doubled their tally through Alderweireld's front-post header.
The Belgian was allowed to get ahead of marker Winston Reid and simply directed the ball beyond the reach of Adrian between the sticks for his second goal of the campaign.
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Mauricio Pochettino's top-four chasing team perhaps should have been sitting even more comfortably at the break, but Alli headed his attempt against the bar before Kane fired wide when played clean through on goal.
Kane did not have to wait too much longer to bag another, though, as he made the most of James Tomkins's stray pass on the edge of the box to rifle home his fourth goal in six outings.
These two sides were level on points heading into this match which, combined with the Hammers' impressive away form, looked likely to provide a real tight contest.
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There was only one side in this one, however, as Eriksen once more tested Adrian with a fine volleyed strike, while Ryan Mason drilled an attempt of his own straight at the West Ham keeper.
Spurs took their foot off the gas slightly but a fourth goal of the evening did arrive six minutes from time through an unlikely source, with Walker joining the party thanks to a smart outside-of-the-boot finish.
Lanzini reduced the deficit somewhat late on when thumping the ball into the roof of the net, yet the damage had long been done for a West Ham side who remain in sixth place.
Daniel Lewis
