Tottenham Hotspur vs Hull City. Premier League.
White Hart LaneAttendance31,347.
Thursday 15 December 2016 08:02, UK
Christian Eriksen scored twice as he inspired Tottenham to a comfortable 3-0 win over Hull in the Premier League.
The White Hart Lane side dictated play for large spells against Mike Phelan's team and went ahead through the Dane early in the first half.
While they took time to build on their slender lead, Tottenham eventually went further in front through Eriksen after the break before Victor Wanyama poked in a third.
With Liverpool winning at Middlesbrough, the Londoners are still outside the top four - but they do have a better points total than at this stage last season after making it four home wins in a row.
Tottenham's overall form hasn't been great lately and they went into this match having won just three of their last 13 games across the Premier League, the EFL Cup and the Champions League.
At White Hart Lane, however, they had won five of their last seven games and were heavy favourites to come out on top against a Hull side which had won only one away Premier League fixture.
The hosts, however, began brighter and Moussa Sissoko looked sharp on his recall to the side but saw his shot saved by David Marshall with comfort.
Tom Huddlestone then had to be alert to prevent Dele Alli from testing the Scotland goalkeeper after a teasing ball from the right by Eriksen.
Mauricio Pochettino's men were starting to build rhythm and after 14 minutes they took a merited lead through a simple yet well executed move.
Jan Vertonghen played a delicately flighted ball down the left which Danny Rose scurried away to pick up and he cut into the penalty area.
After getting past Ahmed Elmohamady, the England international's neat flick teed up Eriksen and he didn't have to break his stride as he passed high into the net to give Tottenham an advantage.
The trouble was they struggled to add to it, despite having plenty of possession. Alli's low shot was tame and easily held while Eriksen's second attempt, after a free kick was blocked, went wide.
It took time for Hull to muster a response but they finally did, with Jake Livermore twice testing Hugo Lloris.
The second occasion saw the Frenchman tip wide for a corner and when Robert Snodgrass sent it in, Elmohamady curled goalwards but a weak effort was held.
Tottenham finished the half with more pressure but still could not make it count. Harry Kane's connection with a Sissoko cutback was weak before the Frenchman's own drive sailed high over the upright.
Eriksen's penalty claims were rightly waved away after Harry Maguire's unintentional handball and Vertonghen's unlikely run into the box saw his shot blocked before he fouled Michael Dawson.
Hull were lively after the restart and Livermore had a third go at goal but Lloris denied him brilliantly once more as he thrust his left foot out to divert wide.
That proved to be a key moment as moments later Tottenham finally got the second goal they needed to pull away from their opponents.
Again it was Eriksen who scored but he benefitted from good work from his team-mates, with Eric Dier starting things off.
He freed Kyle Walker and the full-back outmuscled Andy Robertson to play across the face of goal to the waiting Eriksen at the back post.
It was the post which stopped the Denmark international from claiming a hat-trick, with his bending free kick coming off the upright 10 minutes later.
Wanyama profited instead, getting just ahead of Sissoko to poke in his second goal since a summer move from Southampton.
Eriksen had one final try at completing his treble but while it wasn't to be his night on that front, he was a driving force behind a very routine success.
Tottenham: Lloris (7), Walker (7), Rose (7), Alderweireld (6), Vertonghen (7), Wanyama (6), Dier (6), Sissoko (7), Alli (6), Eriksen (8), Kane (6)
Subs: Winks (4), Son (3), Onomah (2)
Hull: Marshall (7), Maguire (5), Davies (6), Dawson (6), Robertson (6), Huddlestone (6), Clucas (5), Livermore (6), Elmohamady (5), Snodgrass (6), Diomande (4)
Subs: Mason (3), Meyler (3), Bowen (2)
Man of the match: Christian Eriksen
