Tottenham Hotspur surged to their third big win over Stoke in a row with a 4-0 drubbing at White Hart Lane on Sunday. Mark Hughes' side were unable to compete with a wonderful first half performance from the Lilywhites with Harry Kane in particular proving that when on top form is absolutely unplayable.

Kane scored his third hat-trick in nine matches, punishing the Potters with clinical precision and ruthless finishing. Dele Alli also got himself onto the scoresheet, making sure the game was over at half-time.

The win moves Spurs up into second, although they have now played a game more than Manchester City in third.

It was an important win for Mauricio Pochettino's team given their demoralising exit from the UEFA Europa League midweek and they can now look to challenges ahead with confidence.

For Stoke it's simply one to forget and they must think long and hard before they play Spurs again. Losing 4-0 each time is simply not acceptable.

Here are the FIVE photos that summed up all the action...

One...

Harry Kane got his goal show off with a typical poacher's instinct seeing him in the right place in the right time inside the box, ready to finish smartly and put Spurs well on their way to victory. Stoke City must have known it would be a long afternoon from that point on, having lost their previous two matches against the Lilywhites 4-0.

For Kane, it just gave him the hunger for more and it wouldn't be long before he added to his tally.

...Two...

Less than twenty minutes later Harry Kane had Spurs two goals up and it was a sumptuous finish on the half-volley from a Christian Eriksen corner. He really is a clinical finisher and can score from almost anywhere and that was evident again after he banged this one home.

With Spurs well on top in the match, this goal was always going to prove too much for Stoke to come back from and Spurs started playing with a real swagger and confidence from this point on.

...Three

There was a huge element of luck about his third goal but you'll be unlikely to hear any Spurs fans complaining about that. Smashing Christian Eriksen's lay-off at goal, the ball took a massive deflection off of Peter Crouch to spin into the back of the net.

Scoring hat-tricks is no mean feat but scoring three in nine games is quite incredible. Harry Kane is one of the best strikers around right now and has become a real talisman for Spurs. Can he inspire them to their highest league finish for decades?

Alli's goalscoring return

Dele Alli hadn't scored for six games prior to finishing this one off which for most other midfielders is normal. For Dele Alli though that's something of a drought and coming off the back of a disastrous red card mid-week, the pressure was on him to put in a performance.

He's now scored an incredible 14 goals this season and could break the 20 mark before the season's end which would be quite the achievement considering he's far from an out and out striker.

Hughes' lament

Another Spurs game, another 4-0 defeat. Mark Hughes cut a lonely figure on the touchline as he watched his Stoke side slump to yet another heavy loss at the hands of Mauricio Pochettino's men.

He must be scratching his head about what to try next against the Lilywhites. Next time, should he go for a more defensive formation or throw caution to the wind and try to beat Spurs at their own game?