Mauricio Pochettino admitted that he fears the worst over Jan Vertonghen’s ankle injury sustained during the 4-0 destruction of West Bromwich Albion this afternoon.

Vertonghen limped off in tears during the second half after rolling over his ankle, and Pochettino admitted that the injury to the Belgium international “looks very bad”. Vertonghen’s ankle is currently too swollen to be scanned but he will be assessed on Monday. Vertonghen sustained an ankle ligament injury during Euro 2016 which cost him the quarter-final against Wales.

“It looks very bad,” Pochettino said. “We feel very disappointed, it is a situation you never want to happen. It looks very bad but we need to wait a little bit, tomorrow or Monday we will be able to assess it better. His ankle is badly [swollen].” Pochettino said that Spurs would not be in the market for a new defender this month, though, as they have Ben Davies and Kevin Wimmer.

Pochettino was delighted with Spurs’ performance, hailing it as one of their most complete displays of the season. He said that Spurs were playing much better than they were at this stage last year, with nine more points and nine more goals than they had after 21 Premier League games.

“The first 45 minutes was fantastic, it was wonderful football,” Pochettino said. “We can feel very happy with the performance, the players played very well against a very difficult team. I think after Chelsea it was a big challenge to keep the momentum and show that we are mature enough to fight for big things and today was a very good example of that. The performance was brilliant.”

Now in second place, Spurs are back in the title race and Pochettino said that his side are better now than they were then. “We need to move on and try to fight but now we have more belief,” he said. “We are much better than last season. We are showing that we have learnt a lot from last season, we are more mature.” Pochettino pointed to the fact that West Brom did not win a single corner all afternoon.

Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings <b>Tottenham:</b> Hugo Lloris - 6 out of 10 The French stopper was untroubled throughout, not having a single attempt on target to save. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Eric Dier - 7 out of 10 Still part of a back three, the England man enjoyed a comfortable afternoon. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Toby Alderweireld - 7 out of 10 Kept Rondon under wraps on the rare occasions that Albion got the ball forward. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Jan Vertonghen - 7 out of 10 Suffered another ankle injury after an impressive hour that forced the distraught defender off. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Kyle Walker - 8 out of 10 Another energetic performance down the right that was only marred by an indisciplined kick at McAuley. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Victor Wanyama - 8 out of 10 With little defensive work to do, the midfielder demonstrated his ability to burst forward at pace. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Moussa Dembele - 8 out of 10 Unflappable in possession, he showed more desire and energy that his midfield counterparts. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Christian Eriksen - 8 out of 10 The creative force in this Tottenham side, he revelled in the space between West Brom's defence and midfield. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Danny Rose - 8 out of 10 Dominant down the left and ferocious with his tackling, his running pinned back Albion's attacking options. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Dele Alli - 8 out of 10 No goals for the youngster, but he played his part in an excellent attacking performance. His assist for Kane's third was sublime. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Harry Kane - 9 out of 10 Scored three and could have had twice as many had it not been for Foster's heroics. Looked sharp from the first minute. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings <b>West Brom:</b> Ben Foster - 8 out of 10 The only Albion player to come out of the game with any credit. Beaten four times but still excellent. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Craig Dawson - 5 out of 10 A goalscorer at both ends on his previous visit to White Hart Lane, the defender failed to dominate in the air as normal on this occasion. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Gareth McAuley - 4 out of 10 An unfortunate own-goal, his part in Spurs' third was less forgiving. Booked for dissent. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Jonas Olsson - 5 out of 10 The defender often lacked awareness as Tottenham flooded forward. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Chris Brunt - 5 out of 10 Often panicked in defence at the home side pressurised, he was subbed early in the second half. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Nacer Chadli - 5 out of 10 A disappointing return to White Hart Lane for the former Tottenham man, he showed little attacking intent and was eventually subbed. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Darren Fletcher - 5 out of 10 The captain gave his all but failed to keep pace with Dembele and Wanyama. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings James Morrison - 5 out of 10 Never stopped running, but his control often let him down in possession. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Claudio Yacob - 4 out of 10 Allowed Tottenham to much space to play as he chased the shadows of Eriksen, Alli and Dembele. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Matt Phillips - 5 out of 10 Albion's recent bright spark only saw one glimpse of goal, but nearly brought his side back into the contest. Getty Tottenham vs West Brom player ratings Salomon Rondon - 5 out of 10 Little service for the front man who was dominated by Tottenham's back three. Getty