Onward Chistian Eriksen and the seasonal revival of Tottenham's creative Dane offers a beam of winter hope to Mauricio Pochettino.
Eriksen struck twice against Hull and was agonisingly close to a first Spurs hat-trick when his curling free-kick was tipped onto a post by goalkeeper David Marshall and dropped for Victor Wanyama to grab the third.
He has five goals in his last four Premier League games after a subdued start to the campaign and his influence was vital against Hull because, despite a comfortable margin of victory, the Londoners were not at their most fluent.
Indeed, anxiety was creeping when he tucked away his second from a low cross by Kyle Walker. Pochettino might have been feeling the nerves, too. As soon as it hit the net, he darted down the tunnel in search of the toilet.
Christian Eriksen wheels away with his fist clenched and Hull's defence dejected on the turf after the Dane scored the opener
Jan Vertonghen played in Danny Rose who pulled back for Ericksen to end a delightful 30-pass Spurs' move with a crisp finish
Eriksen and the creator of his first goal, Danny Rose, embrace after Tottenham go in front at White Hart Lane
The Danish international would later get Tottenham's second with a close range finish, here's he picture celebrating that goal
Victor Wanyama looks to the heavens after scoring the Spurs third goal to end all hopes of a result for the visiting Tigers
It was cold and I had been drinking lots of water,' shrugged the Spurs boss. Hull's fight, too, was disappeared down the pan. Very little is going right for Mike Phelan's side on the road at the moment.This is six straight defeats away from home and their fans, far from East Yorkshire on a cold and damp night vented their frustration with an x-rated song about the quality of the football they are watching.
For Spurs, three points kept them in touch with their rivals for the top four in what promises to be a key week as they reacted to Sunday's defeat at Manchester United.
Tottenham defender Kyle Walker does his best impression of WWE star Triple H with a pre-kick-off water spray routine
Spurs were on the up early and their first chance fell to an unlikely candidate with Wanyama spurning the opening
The chances continued to come Tottenham's way with Dele Alli rising in the Tigers' box but not doing enough with his header
The Tigers were having to deal with a heavy barrage, here Walker looks to get Spurs going forward against Andrew Robertson
'We left some points at Old Trafford and it was important to respond and win well,' said Eriksen.
Burnley are at the Lane on Sunday and Pochettino knows it was this point 12 months ago when his team started to stitch together a sequence of results to hoist them into the title race.
Tottenham lack the energy of last season but perhaps will return quickly if morale is boosted by a few decent results over this congested period of games.
In the absence of Mousa Dembele, out with a foot injury, Pochettino reverted to the back-three formation against Hull and was rewarded with a clean sheet and the first two goals created by his wing-backs, who excelled.
David Marshall was given no chance by Eriksen as the Spurs midfielder finished a 30-pass move to put his side in front
The Dane fired his shot out of the reach of Marshall and into the roof of the net to put his side in the ascendancy
Alli was in a rampant mood and had another opportunity to add to Tottenham's tally but saw his drive saved by Marshall
Hull struggled to get going forward and when they did the likes of Jan Vertonghen were able to rise above Robert Snodgrass
In a rare scare for the home side Ahmed Elmohamady was able to beat Toby Alderweireld's block only to see his effort saved
With plenty of ex-Spurs players in the Hull side it was no surprise two would clash, here Tom Huddlestone fells Harry Kane
Danny Rose made the opener, bursting down the left on the end of a 30-pass period of possession and cutting a pass into the path of Eriksen, who breezed into the box undetected and lashed a finish high into the net with a swipe of his left boot.
'He was aggressive in possession,' said Pochettino. 'That's what we want from our players. And his run for the second goal. I'm pleased for him because he's working hard to improve and it's important that not only our strikers score.'
Hull are leaky at the back and confidence is low, and Phelan's options are severely limited. They have a fighting spirit, forged upon the chaos behind the scenes, although the squad is ill-equipped for the struggle ahead both in terms of numbers and quality.
Vertonghen caused ex-coleague Michael Dawson a moment of panic when he got yard in the box, but couldn't find the net
Kane did not have many chances in the first half and when one came his way just before the break he was closed down
Tottenham keeper Hugo Lloris did not have a lot to deal with in the first half as his side out-shot the visitors by three to one
Wanyama was a busy man in the first half, sweeping effectively in front of the Tottenham back line, here denies Snodgrass
Kane angles his body to get a header in at goal as Spurs looked to extend their lead over the visiting Hull after the break
Phelan's experience and fuss-free approach is another asset. Whether this collection of things is enough to survive remains to be seen.
'The result was harsh but we're staying positive,' said Phelan. 'We haven't laid down and we created chances. When we went in one down I never felt as though we were out of the game.
'I felt there would be a chance and if we'd take it we had a game on. The keeper pulled off a very good save. But quality came through for Tottenham.'
Walker was on duty in the Tottenham back line as Hull sought a route back into the game with a second-half rally
The Tigers' threat was dampened down when Eriksen doubled Tottenham's lead after getting on to Walker's low cross
Harry Winks came off the bench to replace Alli and looked bright, here he's squeezed out by Sam Clucas and Jake Livermore
Tottenham were putting in their all to get the win, here Vertonghan disappears over the advertising hoardings chasing a ball
Hull's best chance came at 1-0, early in the second-half when Jake Livermore broke quickly and was denied twice in front of goal, firstly by Rose and the then by an outstretched boot of Hugo Lloris.
Moments later, they went two behind when Eriksen tapped in the cross which only just evaded Harry Kane. 'Harry will be disappointed he wasn't wearing longer studs,' said the Dane, who deserved a third.
Even after the free-kick which presented Wanyama with a simple goal, he forced another save from Marshall. The hat-trick would prove elusive but Eriksen is back as one of Tottenham's main men.
The Kenyan pounced on the rebound from an Eriksen free-kick to seal the points for Spurs with his second goal for the club
Wanyama allows himself a wry smile, with Rose beaming, after the midfielder had made it 3-0 to sew up the victory
Robertson holds his head in dejection after Hull's latest defeat was confirmed meaning they remain in the relegation zone
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