Tottenham Hotspur have moved into the Premier League's top four after comfortably brushing aside Watford 4-1 at Vicarage Road to keep their winning run going.
Dele Alli and Harry Kane scored two goals apiece to help the Lilywhites to another big victory, with the points all but sealed before the midway point in Hertfordshire.
Spurs climb up to third thanks to their fourth win in succession, level on points with Manchester City and two ahead of rivals Arsenal, who play their game in hand on Sunday evening.
Tottenham were soon into their groove and completely dominated possession in the opening 10 minutes, coming close to an opener when Son Heung-min picked up the ball in space and sent it down the middle for Heurelho Gomes to save.
The visitors felt that they should have had a penalty soon after as Christian Eriksen's shot was blocked by the arm of Etienne Capoue, but referee Michael Oliver's decision to reject the appeals would matter little in the end.
Possession turned into chances in a three-goal 14-minute blitz as, after Danny Rose sent a shot over the bar from a good position and Alli fired one against the upright, Kane finally bagged a deserved opener.
Kieran Trippier, one of three players drafted into the backline from last time out, slipped the ball into the path of Kane who simply gave Gomes the eyes and placed the ball past his ex-teammate at the near post.
That combination would prove fruitful for Spurs again shortly after the half-hour mark - Trippier this time sending in a cross from the right for Kane to volley into the top corner after slipping between his two markers.
Things were about to get even worse for Watford, though, as Alli capitalised on a weak Younes Kaboul header and tucked the ball past the reach of Gomes - the first time in 20 years that Spurs had taken a three-goal lead into the interval.
Watford, who have already been behind by that margin midway through a match on two previous occasions this term, struggled to cope with their opponents and a fourth was added when Alli blasted past Gomes a minute after the restart.
Kane was to be denied a hat-trick by the strong hand of Gomes an hour into the one-sided affair, and that would prove to be a rare sight of goal for both sides in an otherwise flat second half.
Son squandered a number of openings and Eric Dier tried his luck from range late on, but up the other end Hugo Lloris did not have a single thing to do until the dying stages when Kaboul bundled the ball over the line for a consolation.
A fifth defeat in seven for Watford sees them drop down to 13th place on goal difference, while Tottenham's potential title bid is still just about alive ahead of next week's showdown with leaders Chelsea.
Daniel Lewis
