Tottenham moved a step closer to their first trophy since 2008 after beating their North London rivals Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates and booking their place in the Carabao Cup semifinals.
Son Heung-min, who deputised for Harry Kane up front in the first half, broke the deadlock in the 20th minute after a defence-splitting pass from Dele Alli -- and Alli then doubled the lead himself just before the hour-mark.
Lying just six points off the top in the Premier League while also having a last-16 Champions League tie to look forward to in the new year, Tottenham's campaign is growing increasingly exciting.
Positives
Tottenham's 4-2 Premier League defeat at the Emirates earlier this month has quickly been avenged and Spurs have now won 10 of their last 12 matches.
Mauricio Pochettino was missing three centre-backs but Ben Davies again filled in well in the middle, playing his part in a second successive clean sheet, while Paulo Gazzaniga also justified his status as Spurs' new No. 2 goalkeeper.
At the other end of the pitch, Son provided further evidence that he can do a job up front when Kane is absent. While Fernando Llorente had an impact as a substitute against Burnley on Saturday, it is becoming increasingly clear that Spurs can do without the Spaniard and that they can free up a space in their squad by allowing him to leave in January.
While a two-legged tie against Chelsea in the semifinals is undoubtedly tricky, Spurs have at least avoided Manchester City.
Negatives
It is hard to find fault with this performance. The only concern is that Pochettino's successes will simply make him more attractive to his suitors.
The incident where Alli was hit in the head by a plastic water bottle thrown by an Arsenal fan was also unsavoury.
Manager rating out of 10
8 -- Pochettino has sometimes been guilty of fielding overly-weakened lineups in this competition but he picked a strong side here and got his reward. The introduction of Kane also paid immediate dividends. The Argentine's stock continues to rise and he deserves that elusive trophy.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Paulo Gazzaniga, 8 -- Made two big saves, crucially denying Henrikh Mkhitaryan at 0-0 and tipping an Aaron Ramsey volley onto the post, while his quick punt downfield set Spurs on their way to their opener. The Argentine flapped at a cross and had a kick charged down but otherwise this was another strong performance.
DF Kieran Trippier, 6 -- A mixed display encapsulated by one moment in the second half when he gave the ball away sloppily but immediately snapped into a tackle and won it back.
DF Toby Alderweireld, 8 -- A calm presence as usual as he helped Davies through the game. He did particularly well to block a Ramsey shot in first-half injury-time.
DF Ben Davies, 7 -- Had a couple of dodgy moments, missing an attempted clearance in the box and being beaten to a header by Sokratis Papastathopoulos, but he also produced a host of blocks and tackles. He continues to be a viable option at centre-back.
DF Danny Rose, 7 -- The idea of the left-back ever wearing the armband seemed highly implausible when he criticised the club's transfer policy at the start of last season, but he skippered the side here and led by example with a positive display, always looking forward in possession.
MF Harry Winks, 7 -- Typically assured on the ball and robust without it, the 22-year-old academy product will have enjoyed this victory over Spurs' local rivals.
MF Moussa Sissoko, 7 -- An early pass inside from the right flank helped to create a chance for Christian Eriksen and he offered his usual energy and bite. His finishing remains poor though. Fortunately his glaring miss at 1-0 did not prove costly.
MF Lucas Moura, 7 -- Set up Eriksen for a shot early on and played a key role in the first goal, winning the ball from Gazzaniga's long kick. The Brazilian then made a sliding tackle in his own box which not only denied Mkhitaryan a shot but started a counter-attack which should have resulted in a Sissoko goal.
MF Dele Alli, 9 -- The star man, he set up the first goal with a fine chipped pass to Son and then scored the second with a deft, wonderfully-taken finish.
MF Christian Eriksen, 7 -- Sliced an early shot wide but was at the heart of many of Spurs' good moves. He laid the ball on a plate for Sissoko in the first half, and later tested Petr Cech in the closing stages.
FW Son Heung-min, 7 -- The South Korean is much more dangerous when running at defenders than playing with his back to goal, and he was moved from the No. 9 position to a spot on the left wing for the second half. But he took his goal coolly when Spurs got their valuable breakthrough.
Substitutes:
FW Harry Kane, 8 -- Replaced Lucas in the 58th minute and set up Alli's goal seconds later, bringing the ball down and freeing his teammate with a glorious aerial pass.
MF Erik Lamela, N/R -- Produced some neat touches late on.