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Tottenham 4 Watford 0: Watch highlights as Dele Alli and Son Heung-Min run riot to make it 11 wins in a row at White Hart Lane
Pressure is all on Antonio Conte's men as Spurs blitz past sorry Hornets at buzzing White Hart Lane
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WATFORD were left humiliated at White Hart Lane as Tottenham fired a warning shot at league leaders Chelsea.
A Dele Alli thunderbold helped Spurs on their way to a 4-0 win over the Hornets this afternoon, closing the gap at the top to just FOUR points.
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Antonio Conte's Blues face a tricky away trip to Bournemouth in today's late kick-off and the Italian is sure to be feeling just a little uncomfortable after watching another Tottenham masterclass.
Watford lined up without influential skipper Troy Deeney but looked right at home during the opening 15 minutes, creating a number of opportunities to unsettle fit-again goalie Hugo Lloris.
But a flurry of missed chances down the other end from Vincent Janssen rallied Spurs into life, and they were soon ahead after half-an-hour thanks to main man Alli.
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The England international played a great one-two with Son Heung-Min outside the box before cutting inside and curling the ball past Heurelho Gomes.
Spurs didn't have to wait long for the next one, taking just six minutes to double their lead thanks to Eric Dier.
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The versatile defender was at his clinical best after pouncing on a rebound, with his powerful effort leaving Gomes in no-man's land.
But the first-half rout wasn't over just yet, with South Korea star Son getting in on the action with a great hit from outside the penalty area.
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The in-form attacker then grabbed his second of the game nine minutes into the second period to leave nobody in doubt about the result, but missed a glorious opportunity for his hat-trick in the 80th minute before striking the bar in the 84th.
Spurs played out the remainder of the match with ease, even giving Harry Kane some minutes from the bench following his early return from an ankle injury.
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And all eyes will now be focused sharply on the Vitality Stadium, with Chelsea needing a win to get their lead back to seven points.
The Blues recently edged past Manchester City 2-1 but lost to Crystal Palace by the same scoreline nearly a week ago, and Bournemouth are sure to fancy their chances as they look to edge away from the relegation battle.
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FACTS, STATS, GOALS AND LOLS
- A GLORIOUS Spring afternoon at White Hart Lane which begged the question: Why put the floodlights on?
- NO danger of coin being dropped in toss up as both of these teams were captained by their goalkeepers - Hugo Lloris for Spurs and Heurelho Gomes for Watford.
- HEUNG-MIN SON'S deflected cross hit outside of post in the seventh minute before Vincent Janssen turned Craig Cathcart and fired a shot which Gomes blocked with his legs.
- THE Dutch striker then added to his growing collection of missed sitters when he somehow failed to force Kieran Trippier's brilliant first-time cross over the line from two yards as the ball rolled up his body and hit the bar. He really is the Dutch Soldado.
- DELE ALLI made it 1-0 in the 33rd minute with a stunning 25-yard curler over Gomes.
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- HIS best pal Eric Dier then made it 2-0 six minutes later with a ferocious shot, displaying superb technique.
- AND the game was as good as over two minutes before half time when Son fired in another shot from outside the box.
- WATCHING from the directors' box was Claudio Ranieri. The tinkerman for Watford? You read it here first!
- THE Italian must have been impressed with Kieran Trippier. Is there a better crosser in the country, if not Europe?
- AND no sooner had I finished writing the above when Son lashed in No4 from another Trippier cross in the 54th minute.
- HARRY KANE came on as a 60th minute sub for Janssen. The only surprise was what the departing Dutchman did not miss the bench!
THE BIG PICTURE
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Tottenham next five fixtures:
Bournemouth (H): 15 Apr – Prem
Chelsea (N): 22 Apr – FA
Crystal Palace (A): 26 Apr – Prem
Arsenal (H): 30 Apr – Prem
West Ham (A): 5 May – Prem
Watford next five fixtures:
Swansea (H): 15 Apr – Prem
Hull (A): 22 Apr – Prem
Liverpool (H): 1 May (Prem)
Leicester (A): 6 May (Prem)
Everton (A): 13 May (Prem)
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DREAM TEAM RATINGS
Tottenham: Lloris 7, Trippier 8, Alderweireld 7, Vertonghen 8, Davies 7, Dier 8, Dembele 7 (Sissoko 6), Eriksen 7, Alli 8, Son 9 (Onomah 6), Janssen 7 (Kane 6)
Subs not used: Walker, Nkoudou, Wimmer, Lopez
Goals: Alli 33’, Dier 39’, Son 44’, Son 54’
Watford: Gomes 5, Janmaat 6, Mariappa 6, Cathcart 6, Holebas 6, Amrabat 5 (Deeney 6), Success 6, Doucoure 5 (Zuniga 5), Cleverley 5, Niang 6, Okaka 6 (Kabasele 6)
Subs not used: Capoue, Pantilimon, Mason, Eleftheriou
Booked: Doucoure
Star Man: Son Heung-Min
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SOCIAL SAYS
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WHAT THEY SAID
Tottenham goalscorer Son Heung-Min: “I’m really grateful to my teammates because they helped me so much. Two goals were important but the three points were important still. We are really happy.
“We just focus on us, not on Chelsea. When we think about Chelsea we worry about them, so we have to play for us. We believe.”
Man of the match Kieran Trippier: “We knew it would be tough but we dug in for the clean sheet and three points.
“I try and do my best. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Kyle Walker because he’s been great this season. I’ve got to try and take my chances.”
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino: “We played really well, with good energy. [Maybe] we deserved more goals. They talked for me on the pitch.
"It’s important we compete and win games. We are in second and the gap is four points but there’s more to play.
“Just try to be better every day, win every game and be there if Chelsea fail.”
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