Tottenham can earn their spurs

A double from Harry Kane, plus goals from Toby Alderweireld and Kyle Walker, saw Spurs cruise into a four-goal lead on Sunday before Manuel Lanzini netted a consolation late on.

With leaders Leicester City untested and Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United showing signs of vulnerability – not to mention floundering Chelsea – Spurs now look the division’s most robust team, but Pochettino said it was too soon to anoint them title contenders.

Adrian of West Ham United makes a save during West Ham United’s match against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. “We all feel very proud”, the Argentinian said.

“I thought we could come back in the second half because we created a few good stuff but after the third goal, it just killed the game and to be fair after that it was all them”.

It came as Heung-Min Song pushed the ball inside to Alli whose shot was blocked but it ricocheted to Kane who rolled Carl Jenkinson, easily, to then fire high into the roof of the net.

A win for either team today wouldn’t take them into the top four, but it would certainly take them closer to doing so. A fine away performance had seen Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra Sakho put the Hammers two goals up, before Danny Rose’s scuffed shot provoked a grandstand finish. We all feel very proud.

“Up until the first goal they were pressing but we also had a few chances”. The statistics impress: 12 goals in 14 derby games; eight goals in his past five Spurs matches; no player has more Premier League goals (24) in 2015.

Tottenham have now taken 10 points from a possible 12 in the league, only failing to win when they lost their lead against Arsenal in the 1-1 draw at the Emirates – but Alderweireld is refusing to get carried away.

“We are going game by game”.

Tottenham were leading 3-0 when Alli became involved in an altercation with Mark Noble after the West Ham midfielder had made an innocuous tap on Kane.

The Hammers also have a decent record against Spurs in recent times; they’re unbeaten in their last five meetings and the last three at White Hart Lane.

“We can play even better in our next game, it is never easy to improve, but our mentality is we can improve step by step and keep working hard”. He scored his first worldwide goal in midweek and seems to go from strength to strength, running the midfield against the toughest of opposition and really making the most of the opportunity given to him by manager Mauricio Pochettino.