Spurs run riot as Dele Alli and Harry Kane lead Fox hunt

Stoke City 0 Tottenham 4.

Twenty-four hours after Leicester dropped two points at home to West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur thrashed Stoke in a statement of intent that will put the frighteners on the Foxes.

For the past few weeks, Leicester have been cruising at the top of the Premier League table, but the gap is now down to five points, with Spurs also boasting a vastly superior goal difference. As the faithful sang at the final whistle: "Leicester City, we're coming for you."

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It was a similar message from Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli, who shared in the glut of goals with Harry Kane. "I am just enjoying playing, there is nothing to be scared of," he said. "Leicester know we are going to keep fighting."

The Midlanders are still favourites to clinch their first top-flight title, requiring a maximum of three wins from their remaining four games, but the manner in which Tottenham demolished Stoke will increase the pressure on the Foxes ahead of this weekend's clash with Swansea City, particularly as they'll be without top scorer, Jamie Vardy, because of suspension.

Going into last night's game, Kane and Vardy led the Premier League goalscoring chart for this season with 22 apiece, but it took the Tottenham striker just nine minutes to move ahead of his rival. Mousa Dembele did the initial work, putting Kane into space out on the left, but the 22-year-old finished with characteristic class, cutting inside one challenge and from the edge of the box curling the ball into the net.

Thereafter it was one-way traffic at the Britannia Stadium as Christian Eriksen hit the crossbar before the break and Alli also squandered a good chance to double the advantage.

Spurs cut out the profligacy in the second half and Alli made it 2-0 when he ran on to Eriksen's through ball and chipped it past Shay Given. Four minutes later, Eriksen once again provided the spark, the Dane combining with Alli, who in turn found Erik Lamela for the final ball to Kane for his 24th of the season.

The last word went to Alli, with a right-foot volley on 82 minutes that sealed Spurs's ninth win on the road in this campaign and their 19th in total.

The self-confidence coursing through Tottenham was captured by Kane's ebullient post-match reaction, the England striker exclaiming: "What a performance! Stoke is a tough place to come and to win in the manner we did shows what sort of team we are... It doesn't get much better than that. We hardly put a foot wrong and could have scored more."

And if the pressure is starting to get to Leicester, the message was a blunt one: Kane and his team-mates intend to crank it up even more between now and the last day of the season on 15 May.

"We are ready to put the pressure on Leicester," warned the player, who has now scored more league goals this season than relegated Aston Villa. "We think we can do it. Leicester are five points ahead but we have closed the gap. That's all we could do."