Tottenham Hotspur have closed the gap at the top of the Premier League table to just four points courtesy of a 4-0 victory over Watford at a sun-drenched White Hart Lane this afternoon.
Three quickfire goals from Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Son Heung-min towards the end of the first half put the hosts in control of the contest before Son added his second of the game to cap off the scoring after the interval.
The win sees Spurs equal both their Premier League record of six consecutive wins and their top-flight record of 11 home wins in a row, closing the gap on Chelsea until at least this evening, when the league leaders take on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Spurs were boosted by the return of Hugo Lloris in goal and Harry Kane to the bench following his quick recovery from injury, but it was Watford - without benched captain and top scorer Troy Deeney - who made the brighter start to the match.
The Hornets failed to turn that into clear chances, though, with a tame Jose Holebas free kick the only early work Lloris had to do, and the visitors almost fell behind as early as the seventh minute despite their positive start when Son's cross deflected against the outside of the near post.
Vincent Janssen was chosen to lead the line and he threatened to finally register his first Premier League goal from open play when he turned his man inside the area only to see his snapshot well saved by Heurelho Gomes.
Watford continued to carry a threat going forward in the opening stages, though, and Craig Cathcart failed to make the most of a half-chance after Spurs had struggled to clear their lines, while Mbaye Niang drew a save from Lloris shortly afterwards.
Spurs soon began to take control of the contest, though, and they should have broken the deadlock after 19 minutes when Kieran Trippier's first-time volleyed cross put the ball on a plate for Janssen, but the striker could not bundle it home from close range with the goal gaping, instead seeing it bounce off his thigh and onto the crossbar.
Janssen was just a yard short of connecting with another teasing Trippier delivery moments later as his woes in front of goal continued, but as has been the case throughout Kane's absence there were others who stepped up to the plate to share the goalscoring mantle.
Alli has been chief among those, and he produced a moment of magic to break the deadlock shortly after the half-hour mark when he curled a stunning effort into the far corner from outside the area after a quick counter-attack from the hosts.
It was Alli's 10th goal in 13 Premier League games since the turn of the year, and he was soon joined on the scoresheet by Dier, who has now scored as many goals in his last three Premier League appearances as he did in his previous 61.
It was another crisp strike too, with the midfielder lashing a powerful first-time half-volley past a helpless Gomes after the ball had fallen kindly for him on the edge of the area.
Spurs then effectively killed the game off before half time when they made it three goals in the space of just 11 minutes, with Son drilling his first of the afternoon into the bottom corner having been afforded space to shoot from 25 yards out.
That goal saw Son become the first South Korean to ever reach double figures in a Premier League season, and he made it two on the day 10 minutes after the interval when he stroked home a first-time volley after being picked out at the back post by Trippier.
A perfect day for Spurs took another positive turn when Mauricio Pochettino gave the fit-again Kane 30 minutes of action at the end of the match, and the striker had the chance to mark his return with a goal 10 minutes after his introduction when he latched on to a pass from Trippier and rounded the keeper, only to see his tame finish cleared by the defence.
Deeney was also brought off the bench for a second-half cameo, and he almost made an immediate impact when he found the space to chest the ball down in the area before lifting a shot over the crossbar.
Spurs were still in complete command, though, and Son should have completed his hat-trick with 10 minutes remaining when he collected a pass from Kane with only the keeper to beat, but proceeded to slot his finish the wrong side of the post despite having the space and time to pick his spot.
The in-form forward had another chance to take home the matchball shortly afterwards when he raced on to another clever pass from Trippier before clipping the top of the crossbar with a well-struck volley.
The only thing the occasion was missing was a goal for Kane, and the England international almost rectified that with the last kick of the match when he crashed a thunderous 30-yard effort against the crossbar - the fourth time in the match that Spurs had hit the woodwork.
Spurs have now won their last 14 matches at White Hart Lane across all competitions, whereas Watford have won just one of their last 12 away games and are still without a league win at Tottenham since 1985.
Barney Corkhill
