Tottenham Hotspur 5-0 Swansea City

Spurs deserved to take the lead but there was controversy over their opening goal

Tottenham consolidated their position on the fringes of the Premier League top four with a commanding home victory over struggling Swansea.

There was controversy over their opening goal, scored by Harry Kane from the penalty spot, after Dele Alli appeared to dive in the box.

Son Heung-min's brilliant acrobatic strike doubled the lead at the end of a first half Spurs totally dominated.

Kane added his second when smashing home Son's unintentional lay-off, before Christian Eriksen nodded home from close range and later drove in his second to further punish the Swans in stoppage time.

Defeat means the Welsh side are bottom of the table after Sunderland's victory at home to Leicester.

Spurs' win - just a second from their past 11 games - keeps Mauricio Pochettino's side in fifth, three points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.

• Relive Tottenham v Swansea

• Reaction to all of Saturday's games

A deserved, but controversial lead

Spurs had won just once in their past 10 matches in all competitions, a run dating back to early October that has seen them eliminated from the Champions League and EFL Cup, and lose ground to the Premier League leaders.

They fully deserved their lead - Lukasz Fabianksi had made several key stops to keep the score level - but the penalty award that led to the opening goal was very soft.

Alli seemed to simulate contact as he ran across right-back Kyle Naughton just inside the area, with referee Jonathan Moss awarding Spurs' sixth spot-kick in eight games, all of which have been scored.

Son's spectacular strike for the second - the ball was smashed in at the near post courtesy of a scissor-kick - was a better reflection of the home side's overall play.

Their dominant hold over possession and quick attacking play continued to overwhelm Swansea throughout the second half and the away side were further punished three times on the break as they looked for a way back into the match.

While Spurs had 28 total attempts on goal, 15 of which were on target...

... Swansea had just one shot during the whole match - and that did not threaten Hugo Lloris' goal

In truth, it could have been an even wider margin of victory had it not been for further saves by Fabianksi and some wasteful finishing by Spurs, with Victor Wanyama's inexplicable miss from close range the most obvious example.

'Critical' just got harder

By manager Bob Bradley's own admission, December is a "critical month" for the Swans.

They play five of the bottom 12 teams - Sunderland, Middlesbrough, West Ham, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace - in their next six matches.

With just one win from their past 14 games and having now been sent to the bottom of the league after this emphatic defeat, the task of turning their season around is becoming significantly harder.

There was little in the way of positives to take from White Hart Lane, apart from the performance of Fabianksi and the fact Naughton was unjustly penalised for the opening goal.

Man of the match - Harry Kane (Tottenham)

Spurs were lucky to get the penalty, but Kane dispatched it superbly into the corner to finally break Swansea's resistance

The England striker celebrated signing his new six-year contract by scoring twice to take his tally to eight goals from 11 games in all competitions this season.

What they said

Swansea manager Bob Bradley speaking to BBC Radio 5 live: "I didn't think the referee was in a good position and that [penalty] decision certainly changed the game.

"Today is a big concern. I think the starting point was Tottenham got to every ball faster. On a day like today it feels like we have a long, long way to go.

"There have been other days where I think there have been promising signs. We have work to do. We knew coming here today was going to be particularly difficult. We have to learn from it but go forward quickly."

Spurs' record continues...

• Tottenham have a 100% record against Swansea at White Hart Lane, winning all six games - their best record against any club they have played four times or more.

• The result is Swansea's joint worst in Premier League history, also losing 5-0 to Chelsea (January 2015) and Liverpool (February 2013).

• Tottenham have won by a five-goal margin in the Premier League for the first time since hitting five past Newcastle at White Hart Lane in February 2012.

• After scoring five goals last weekend, Swansea recorded just one shot against Spurs, their worst shot tally in a Premier League match.

• Harry Kane has now scored 21 goals in 28 Premier League appearances in 2016 - only Manchester City's Sergio Aguero (27) has more goals this year.

Analysis

Former Spurs & England forward Clive Allen at White Hart Lane for BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

"This could have been double figures with the chances Spurs created in the second half. There was a catalogue of errors from Swansea. It was an emphatic victory for the home side."

What's next?

Swansea are at home to Sunderland in a 15:00 GMT kick-off in the Premier League on Saturday.

Spurs play CSKA Moscow in the Champions League at Wembley on Wednesday - a draw will secure a Europa League place - before travelling to Manchester United in a 14:15 kick-of on Sunday.