Spurs are not favourites - but they are in with a chance

Tottenham are suddenly being talked about as title contenders after their superb 6-2 win at Everton on Sunday, but it was a performance I had seen coming.

I was more surprised by how poor Everton were because, having watched Spurs a lot over the past few weeks, they have been getting better and better.

Their only negative result since the end of October was their defeat in the north London derby, which came at the end of a very tough week in which they beat Chelsea and Inter Milan.

Since then, they have responded unbelievably well and - as always - they are reaping the rewards of Mauricio Pochettino's training methods and the way he rotates his team.

Sometimes he rests players for important games, but what people often don't pick up on are the times he plays them through the moments when it might seem like they need a break.

Mauricio understands how sometimes players need to do that to get fitter, and now he is reaping the rewards.

The quality of Tottenham's play compared to Everton was probably the biggest difference between the two teams at Goodison Park on Sunday, but their respective work-rate stood out for me too.

There could not have been a bigger contrast in the way Spurs sprinted to every ball, while Everton jogged.

That was one of the reasons Tottenham ran out such convincing winners, and it is not just a coincidence that their players have been getting stronger and stronger as their form has improved in such a busy few weeks.

Spurs are not favourites - but they are in with a chance

It has been so tight at the top between Liverpool and Manchester City until this weekend that many people were not talking about Spurs as being contenders. They are now.

It is easy to get over-excited after an outstanding display like the one I watched at Goodison Park but, while I still think they might ultimately fall short of the title, there is no doubt they are in with a shout.

They have won 11 of their past 13 games in all competitions, and if they take maximum points from their next three matches over the festive period they are going to be even closer to at least one of the teams above them, because City host Liverpool on 3 January.

While I can understand why Pochettino played down his side's chances on MOTD2 by claiming the top two are "clear favourites" he will know Spurs are in with a shout this time.

If you had asked him at the start of the season what it would mean if they were within two points of City at Christmas, I think he would have replied that they would be in with a chance of winning the Premier League.

That in itself is a great achievement, but the way Spurs have done it by collecting their best points tally of the Premier League era while also reaching the last 16 of the Champions League and the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup is even more impressive.