Tottenham Hotspur made it nine games unbeaten in the Premier League by thrashing Bournemouth 5-1 at Dean Court.
Matt Ritchie handed Bournemouth the lead in the opening minute, but Spurs responded in emphatic fashion as Harry Kane's hat-trick and goals from Mousa Dembele and Erik Lamela earned them three points.
Below, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the key talking points from the match.
Match statistics
BOURNEMOUTH
Shots: 11
On target: 3
Possession: 46%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 8
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Shots: 14
On target: 9
Possession: 54%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 15
Was the result fair?
Questions do not come much easier than this one. When a side wins 5-1, there is certainly no doubt that they deserved to walk away with all three points. In truth, Bournemouth probably looked as good as Spurs in the final third of the pitch during the first half, but mistakes are always costly in the Premier League and the away side capitalised on every opportunity gifted to them. As soon as the door was opened Spurs never looked back. It was the perfect away performance after an early setback. It was an emphatic win and Spurs certainly deserve the plaudits.
Bournemouth's performance
After suffering a 5-1 loss to Manchester City last weekend, the Cherries needed to produce a response to suggest that they were capable of rising to the tougher challenges. It was a perfect start to the afternoon when the lively Ritchie fired home, but the good news stopped there for the hosts. Eddie Howe will have to put a couple of hours aside to analyse every mistake committed by his side on a miserable day at the office. Artur Boruc was at fault for three of the goals conceded, and with a goalkeeper in that kind of form, Bournemouth never had a chance of stopping the Spurs charge.
Keeping the ball well and building attacks from the back was the Bournemouth identity in the Championship, and Howe has repeatedly insisted that his side will stick to that approach after climbing into the top tier of English football. Swansea City and Southampton have done the same before them with much success, but those plans were simply not put into practice by the Cherries this afternoon. The likes of Sylvain Distin and Steve Cook looked uncomfortable on the ball when the pressure was on, and the midfielders did not make themselves available often enough. It is clear that they miss Callum Wilson, and without his clever runs off the ball the visitors lacked an outlet pass. After back-to-back 5-1 defeats, it may be time for a rethink. Errors were key, but Bournemouth just did not seem to know how to react when the momentum shifted.
Tottenham's performance
When Mauricio Pochettino spends hours on the training pitch drilling his ideas into players, this is the sort of performance he is hoping to see at the weekend. Rather than control the match with clever one-touch passing, this was a victory built by the Argentine's pressing philosophy. The response to the early setback was impressive and the energy shown by the visiting players proved to be key. From back to front they never allowed Bournemouth to settle on the ball. Eric Dier, Dele Alli and Dembele played huge roles in turning the tide in the first half as they hunted down Bournemouth players in packs to regularly win the ball high up the pitch. Christian Eriksen and Kane benefited from their work, with Spurs often turning defence into attack within a couple of seconds.
Were Spurs helped by a shocking display from Boruc? Of course, but they certainly deserve credit for capitalising on every error committed and taking advantage whenever the Bournemouth defence hesitated in possession. Kane was the star of the show with a hat-trick which suggests he has found his top form once again. While he has played well in most games this season, that cutting edge has been missing. If this is the start of another successful season for Kane, Spurs will quickly improve as their defence once again excelled thanks to Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld. Nine games unbeaten in the league is impressive, and when Pochettino's tactics click in this fashion, there is no reason why the run should not be extended.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Harry Kane: Dembele, Alli, Dier and Eriksen were all impressive, but Kane was undoubtedly the hero for Spurs. Despite making solid contributions most weeks this season, he had scored just once before today and questions had been raised whether he would match the form he produced last season. Kane could not have answered his critics in more emphatic fashion. He built confidence by sliding home the penalty, before showing good instinct in the box to complete his hat-trick in the second half. The England international was excellent all over the pitch, though. He dropped deep to link up with teammates and was provided a constant headache for the Bournemouth defence.
Biggest gaffe
The list of mistakes is a long one. Boruc was directly responsible for three of the goals conceded, but it did not get much worse than the part he played in the Tottenham's third of the afternoon. It should have been an easy catch for the former Celtic and Southampton goalkeeper when Kane delivered a cross. Instead, he somehow managed to fumble the ball, which allowed Lamela to fire home from close range. Goalkeeping performances do not come much worse.
Referee performance
Roger East will certainly not steal any headlines. It was an easy decision to point to the spot when Boruc foolishly charged off his line to bring down Kane. Another penalty could have been given when the Bournemouth goalkeeper challenged Kane once again in the second half, but it was an afternoon when the officials avoided being the centre of attention.
What next?
Bournemouth: The Cherries switch their focus to the League Cup fourth round as they prepare to meet Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Spurs: Pochettino's side will enjoy an extended break before meeting Aston Villa at White Hat Lane next Monday.
Callum Mulvihill
