Tottenham fought back from behind at Bournemouth to dismiss fears of psychological damage left by their Champions League exit at the hands of Juventus.
There were no questions levelled at the mental strength of Spurs on the south coast.
They went behind to an early strike by Junior Stanislas but two goals by Heung-min Son and one each for Dele Alli and Serge Aurier clinched the win to lift them above Liverpool into third in the Premier League.
Son Heung-Min struck twice as Tottenham eased to a comprehensive victory against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium
Son’s first saw Tottenham take a 2-1 lead shortly after the hour mark with a scuffing a volley at the back post
Dele Alli showed real composure inside the box to meet Serge Aurier’s cross on the half volley and equalise for Tottenham
Junior Stanislas had opened the scoring after just seven minutes to send Bournemouth racing into a surprising early lead
Serge Aurier reacted the fastest to score an easy header at the back post to complete the rout at the Vitality Stadium
MATCH FACTS, LIVE LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE
Bournemouth (4-4-2): Begovic 5; Francis 6, S.Cook 6, Ake 6, Daniels 6 (Ibe 67); A.Smith 6.5, L.Cook 6.5, Gosling 6.5, Stanislas 7 (Defoe 76), Wilson 6.5, Mousset 6.5 (King 67);
Subs not used: Boruc, Surman, Arter, Fraser
Goalscorers: Stanislas (7)
Booked: Gosling
Manager: Eddie Howe 6.5
Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Lloris 6; Aurier 6.5, Sanchez 5, Vertonghen 5.5, Rose 6 (Trippier 80); Wanyama 6, Dembele 6.5; Eriksen 8, Alli 7.5 (Sissoko 85), Son 7.5; Kane 5 (Lamela 34, 6.5);
Subs not used: Vorm, Dier, Llorente, Lucas Moura
Goalscorers: Alli (35), Son (62, 87), Aurier (90+1)
Booked: Rose
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino 7
Referee: Mike Dean 6
Attendance: TBC
MoM: Eriksen
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Son Heung-Min finished off a well-worked move by scuffing a volley at the back post to give Tottenham a 2-1 lead. CLICK HERE to see more from Sportsmail’s brilliant MATCH ZONE feature.
There was physical damage, however, as Harry Kane limped off with an ankle injury in the first half to be followed late in the game by Danny Rose and Alli.
Alli seemed to be complaining of a groin problem as he came off and Rose appeared to have hurt his knee.
With an FA Cup quarter-final at Swansea on Saturday these injuries will cause concerns for manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Eddie Howe made the bold call to start with two up front and his reward came quickly as the combination of Callum Wilson’s pace and Lys Mousset’s presence made life uncomfortable for Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen.
Tottenham forward Harry Kane had put the ball in the back of the net to but his effort was ruled out by the linesman for offside
Kane injured himself in the process of scoring and looked in pain as held his leg on the floor
The forward received medical treatment from the Tottenham physios but his game was over as he headed down the tunnel
Spurs might easily have gone behind in the fourth minute, with echoes of Pablo Dybala’s break through the centre of their defence for the winner at Wembley as a fine pass by Lewis Cook released Mousset.
Striding clear of Sanchez, Mousset might have gone for goal but opted instead to roll the ball square into the path of Stanislas.
The pass, however, was not perfect and invited Hugo Lloris into play. As Lloris dived, Stanislas tried to dink a finish over the goalkeeper, got too much on it and lifted it onto the bar.
Bournemouth had squandered a glorious chance and Spurs sighed with relief as they scrambled the rebound aside for a corner.
Three minutes later, however, and Stanislas made amends.
A quick burst down the right and a deep cross from Adam Smith reached the far post where Stanislas took a touch and fired a crisp drive past Lloris.
There were other flashes of early danger for Tottenham but by midway through the first half they were in control.
Injury struck Kane in the 29th minute.
Christian Eriksen teased a curling pass around the back-four and the Spurs striker touched it beyond Asmir Begovic but the flag up was up and the goal would not stand.
Kane was a yard offside but his collision with Begovic left him on the ground holding his right ankle.
There was brief treatment on the pitch before he hobbled around the touchline to consult with Pochettino and the medical team, then hurled a water bottle to the ground in frustration and disappeared down the tunnel.
The instant diagnosis was of suspected ligament damage, an unwelcome development for Spurs at this stage of the season and of concern England boss Gareth Southgate as he prepares to select his squad for World Cup preparation friendlies against Holland and Italy.
Pochettino’s reshuffle brought on Erik Lamela and moved Son to centre-forward and Spurs were soon level.
Son found Aurier on the right and his splendid delivery was converted by Alli, smartly nudging the ball past Begovic with his thigh as it skipped up off the slick surface.
Alli cupped his ear to the Bournemouth fans behind the goal who had been giving his stick.
It was his first goal since January 2 but his 10th of the season in all competitions and further proof of his ability to influence games.
Bournemouth summoned a response and the game pulsed back and forth after the interval.
Simon Francis forced Lloris into a full-stretch save and Nathan Ake went close when Aurier’s clearance hit him on the head and flew narrowly over.
Dan Gosling, excellent in the heart of midfield, dragged a decent chance wide from the edge of the penalty box.
At the other end, Francis reacted quickly to deny Alli and Begovic saved from Eriksen.
Son tipped the impetus in Tottenham’s direction when he put them ahead with a slice of fortune.
Television replays and accompanying graphics showed the Korean was offside, although only by a matter of inches, his right foot behind the line with Ake, Bournemouth’s last defender.
Son took a swing at a cross from Alli with his left boot, connected with his shin and the ball skidded down into the turf and up into the top corner.
Once ahead, Spurs saw it out although not without a scare.
Callum Wilson saw a goal ruled out for push on Sanchez before Son sped clear on the break to dribble around the goalkeeper and score his second.
A Begovic save denied Son a hat-trick and Aurier nodded in the fourth when the ‘keeper palmed a cross from Kieran Trippier onto his head.
Stanislas finds himself through and goal and tries to chip over Hugo Lloris but his effort cannons back out off the crossbar
Simon Francis closes down Tottenham forward Son Heung-Min as he advances down the left-hand flank
Mousa Dembele tracks back from midfield and times his challenge to perfection to dispossess striker Callum Wilson
Lys Mousset (left) uses his body to get in front of his marker and protect the ball from Victor Wanyama during the first half
Defender Aurier leaps in the air and outjumps Charlie Daniels to head the ball back to a Tottenham team-mate
Begovic comes off his line to try and punch clear a Tottenham cross into the box but collides with team-mate Steve Cook
Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen wrestles with Bournemouth striker Wilson as the pair try to control the ball out of the air
Son takes a tumble in the box under the challenge of two Bournemouth defenders but appeals for a penalty are waved away
Alli (right) and Son (left) run off in celebration after the pair combined for Tottenham’s second goal at Dean Court
Jermain Defoe comes on to play against his former side as he replaces Stanislas with 14 minutes remaining of the full 90
Alli went down late in the second half with an injury and received medical attention by the physio before being forced off