At times like these, with Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham utterly rampant, it is the points that got away from them earlier in the season that come to feel more and more significant. How about the two that they dropped in the 0-0 draw at Bournemouth in October? With just an extra couple to their tally, it would be possible to paint their Premier League title pursuit in an even more exciting light.

As it is, this procession in the north London sunshine against a team with glaring defensive flaws moved them to within four points of the leaders, Chelsea, who play at Manchester United today.

Tottenham are close but will they be close enough? What can be said with certainty is that they are finishing the season with a bang. There was so much to enjoy about this performance, from the zip, movement, flicks and incision in possession to the remorseless of their pressing when they did not have the ball.

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Their defence, which is the meanest in the division, was never troubled and it said everything that the Bournemouth fans were reduced to mock celebration when Junior Stanislas and Charlie Daniels had shots towards the end.

There was a collector’s item goal for Mousa Dembélé to get Tottenham up and running – his first since January of last year – while Son Heung-min, Harry Kane and the substitute Vincent Janssen got the others. Kane has now reached 20 goals in the league for the third season in a row.

It was the 12th time over the campaign that Bournemouth had conceded three or more goals and they were lucky that the scoreline was not even heavier. Eddie Howe, the manager, said: “The danger is that everyone says we are safe. We are not.”

It was Tottenham’s day and a 15th consecutive win in all competitions here was all but secured by the 19th minute. That was all the time it took for Bournemouth to err badly at the back and Tottenham to punish them twice.

First, Simon Francis allowed the ball to run out, wrongly believing that a goal-kick would be awarded. From Christian Eriksen’s corner, Dembélé was allowed the space to take a touch and finish from eight yards.

It was an afternoon to forget for Jack Wilshere, the on-loan Arsenal midfielder, who was jeered throughout and lost the ball to Eric Dier in the buildup to the second goal. It broke for Kane, who flicked on beautifully for Son and he accelerated past Steve Cook before shooting low past Artur Boruc from a tight angle.

Wilshere would leave the stadium on crutches, with his left foot in a protective boot, after he was hurt in making a challenge on Kane in the 53rd minute, as the striker shot for goal. He tried to play on after treatment only to realise that the pain was too great.

It had looked as though Howe ordered him to stay on while he readied the substitute, Lewis Cook. “I can’t move,” Wilshere shouted back at him, before he hobbled off. The Tottenham fans lapped it up.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tottenham fans look on as Jack Wilshere walks off. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Pochettino had been unable to find room in his starting lineup for the fit-again Victor Wanyama, which was a reflection of his strength in depth and, also, the recent form of Dier and Son. The South Korean forward, who was moved to the left to accommodate the return of the England international Kane, has now scored eight goals in six appearances. Pochettino faces a selection dilemma for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley. Surely Son has to start?

The home crowd were subdued for long spells. It was as though they knew that their team did not need them to drive the team on.

Tottenham had plenty of other chances. Dembélé saw Boruc keep out a rasping 12th minute shot while Eriksen had two sightings of goal in the first-half and one more in the second. Kane was also denied by Boruc.

Pochettino raged at times in his technical area at what were only minor pieces of sloppiness from his players. The manager sets the standards for everybody at the club.

“Our idea was to translate to the players that nothing was enough,” he said. “The only way to build that winning mentality is always to play with the same tempo and focus, whether it’s 1-0 or 4-0. The team must forget the scoreline.”

Pochettino could celebrate again early in the second-half when Kane got away from Francis far too easily to shoot home, while there were wild scenes in stoppage time when the Dutch striker Janssen scored at the second attempt for his sixth goal of the season in all competitions.