Tottenham made the most of their rivals slipping up as Heung-min Son scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Aston Villa.
With Manchester United and Arsenal both losing earlier in the day, the chance was there for Spurs to take control of the Premier League top-four race and take a big step towards securing Champions League football.
After the South Korea striker steered the visitors into an early lead, Spurs withstood a Villa onslaught to remain ahead at the interval with veteran goalkeeper Hugo Lloris making a string of superb saves.
But they cruised to victory with a breathtaking, counter-attacking second-half performance as Son swept home two more fine finishes, either side of an equally elegant strike from Dejan Kulusevski.
A fourth-successive win moved Antonio Conte’s side three points above north London rivals Arsenal – beaten at home by Brighton earlier on Saturday – in the race for the fourth Champions League spot
