Harry Kane inspired Tottenham to a 3-1 win over Brighton in the FA Cup fourth-round, keeping alive their hopes of winning silverware this season.
Kane scored twice, making it 1-0 with a fine curling effort from 20 yards after 13 minutes, but it was his commanding all-round display that offered further evidence of the England captain's gradual return to his best.
He was at the heart of Spurs' best football, showing a willingness to shoot on sight and bully Brighton's centre-backs – traits which he was lacking before Antonio Conte arrived as head coach.
His link up with the returning Heung-min Son was particularly sharp, and their partnership led to Kane's second and Spurs' third goal.
Minutes after Yves Bissouma had pulled one back for Brighton on the hour, Son turned on the afterburners to burst through Brighton's defence and Kane slid in at the back post to score after defender Adam Webster had helped the ball past his own goalkeeper.
Kane's performance followed a similarly impressive outing in the dramatic 3-2 win over Leicester, and a harshly disallowed goal in the dismal defeat to Chelsea, and was marked with a first double for his club since April.
For all the talk about Spurs' new signings (and more on them below), nothing will improve their chances of progressing in the FA Cup and pushing for a place in the top four more than having Kane back to his best.
In that regard, this game was another promising sign.
Debutants catch the eye
The returns of Son and Cristian Romero from injury, and second-half debuts for new signings Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, gave Spurs' first game after the winter break the unmistakable feel of a fresh start.
The deadline-day signings came off the bench with Spurs already leading 3-1, and both wasted no time making an impression.
Bentancur immediately won over the home fans with a number of deft touches, including one brilliant turn out of trouble, and showed signs of the composure and drive he should bring to Conte's midfield.
Kulusevski saw plenty of the ball as Spurs launched a series of late counter-attacks, and laid on a glorious chance for fellow substitute Steven Bergwijn, who blazed wildly over the bar.
The Swede clear favours his left foot, and stepped inside from the right on several occasions to create angles for a pass or shot, and Conte has said he is versatile enough to play across the front three or even at right wing-back.
Perhaps aware of increased competition for his place, Emerson Royal celebrated defiantly in front of the Spurs bench after helping to double their lead when his cross deflected home via Solly March ten minutes after Kane had opened the scoring.
Romero reminder
After all the talk about who Spurs signed and didn't sign in January, Romero's return to the side was a reminder that their biggest buy last summer is still to get going.
Romero made a first appearance since November 7 after recovering from a hamstring strain, and caught the eye in a commanding display at the heart of defence.
The Argentine has an untameable quality and adds a combination of aggression and composure to Conte's back three.
He snuffed out a number of promising Brighton attacks, particularly at the start of the second-half, and used the ball intelligently.
Spurs' defensive solidity crumbled last month without Romero and Eric Dier but their returns should give Conte's side a dependable platform on which to build.
