Tottenham recovered from their continental exit in some style as they smashed four past Stoke City.

Harry Kane hit a wonderful hat-trick, the pinnacle of which was a left-footed strike that found the bottom corner and was reminiscent of the England man's spiritual predecessor, Alan Shearer.

Dele Alli got Spurs' fourth, finishing a wonderful team move, as the Potters fell apart.

Stoke's second-half performance was an improvement, principally because things couldn't get much worse, but they didn't ever really threaten Tottenham's goal where Hugo Lloris was, largely, a spectator.

Few wins will be as comfortable as this all season. But what did we learn?

1. Expect the unexpected

And so the questions around Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham roll on.

From the indignity of their Europa League exit at the hands of a lowly Gent side, in which they looked unrecognisable beneath the lights of Wembley, to a masterclass in power, performance and precision against Mark Hughes’ Stoke.

Today’s result bears testament to what Pochettino’s players are really capable of but their alarming fluctuations in form must be arrested if the side are to stand any chance of competing for a spot among the top four.

Why they can't recreate that on a continental stage remains a mystery.

2. Stoke's midfield looks like a relic

Stoke’s midfield of Charlie Adam and Glenn Whelan has served them well for some years now. But it feels like a pairing of decades past when up against a dynamic, 21st-century outfit like Pochettino’s Tottenham.

Adam had one of his poorer games for Stoke (Getty)

Spurs ran rings around Adam and Whelan, slicing through them at will. Lacking in mobility, positioning and, after the goals started flying in, discipline, it was a humbling day for the Stoke engine room.

Hughes hauled both of them off before the end of this, a humiliating defeat, and the likes of Gianelli Imbula – highly-rated before arriving in Staffordshire – must be in with a chance of some first-team action soon.

3. Alli has made himself a target for the foreseeable future

The repercussions of Dele Alli’s red card for a horrific lunge on Gent’s Brecht Dejaegere will extend far beyond a possible three-match European ban, as this match proved.

Alli was a Stoke target from the off, fouled multiple times in the opening exchanges, with Adam and Marko Arnautović both booked for cynical tackles on the player. Alli kept a cool head today – resisting the urge to retaliate and scoring Tottenham’s fourth goal – but the question will be whether he can keep his temper in check for the weeks, months and seasons ahead.

He is a marked man.

4. Spurs must keep Belgian defenders fit

The audible gasp and change in mood whenever Toby Alderweireld or Jan Vertonghen go to ground speaks of a grave concern as to how Spurs function without their first-choice defensive pairing.

Both ended up being replaced before the end of this match to preserve their fitness, a peculiar sight given that only goalkeepers are substituted less than central defenders.

Toby Alderweireld is a key cog in the Spurs machine

It spoke volumes to how important this duo are to Tottenham's chances.

With the win in the bag, they now need to keep Jan and Toby in tip-top shape as they aim to secure a top-four finish.

5. Potters hold back the cavalry

Hughes, fresh from roasting his team at the break, did try and claw his way back into this game but it all felt too late.

Saido Berahino and Ibrahim Affelay came on after an hour but offered little, while Geoff Cameron's introduction may as well have seen the fourth official raise a white flag rather than the LED board that indicated his substitution.