TOTTENHAM 5, BURNLEY 0

THE debate before kick-off was how Harry Redknapp could possibly recall Robbie Keane and drop Peter Crouch after his mid-week hat trick at Preston.

Most Spurs fans seemed convinced Crouch had earned the right to partner his England strike partner Jermain Defoe.

Redknapp thought differently and Keane vindicated the decision in emphatic fashion with FOUR goals.

"That's why I am the manager," grinned Redknapp.

Quite. It was the first time a Spurs player had scored four in a Premier League game since Jurgen Klinsmann against Wimbledon 11 years ago.

It wasn't just the goals Keane plundered, it was how he orchestrated the destruction of the Burnley defence.

Not that it was too hard. At times, the Burnley back four had the consistency of Plasticine.

Keane, ably supported by the constant probing of Jermaine Jenas just behind him, knew just how to punish the Clarets.

Playing the long ball into Crouch might have helped a Burnley defence that is not too bad in the air but hopeless on the deck.

It was a display which emphasised that, on his day, Keane is one of the best strikers in the game - and why Redknapp was so keen to buy him back from Liverpool in January just six months after leaving the Lane.

Keane not only has the finishing prowess to score goals from all angles but his work off the ball, his clever movement, his subtle passes and his link work all mean he also performs as a playmaker.

When on song, it's almost like having two strikers in one shirt.

The only thing that was lacking was Keane's trademark somersault pistol-pointing goal celebration.

Maybe at 29 he's worried about doing himself permanent damage.

The Keane Show, though, didn't get off to a good start. Having been caught offside three times in succession, he then made a mess of his shot when sent clear by a superb pass from Jenas.

Keane is a player who thrives on confidence and did not allow that to knock his nerve.

In the 18th minute, he got the ball rolling - the ball he would eventually take home after his superb display - when he scored from the spot in ebullient fashion.

Jermain Defoe exposed Andre Bikey's lack of manoeuvrability by rolling him with ease, only to be brought down by the central defender's despairing challenge.

Keane skipped up, shimmied, fooled keeper Brian Jensen into diving right and coolly slotted the ball into the other corner.

Burnley are not a team to park the bus on their away travels, despite their obvious weakness at the back. And they do have a bit of flair going forward, which is why they have won all three of their Premier League home games so far.

Manager Owen Coyle was convinced they should have been rewarded in the 26th minute when Steven Fletcher rammed the ball home after a clever Joey Gudjonsson flick.

It would have been the club's first top-flight goal away from home since 1976 but it was ruled out for a marginal offside call.

"I'm not going to moan but that was a big turning point," claimed Coyle.

Unlikely. Bikey and partner Clarke Carlisle just couldn't handle the movement of Keane and Defoe. Even had Burnley equalised, Spurs would still have won comfortably. The game was effectively settled in the 33rd minute when Keane instigated a move that saw Jenas make it 2-0 from the edge of the area via a deflection off Steve Jordan.

Robbie Blake did hit the post from close range after a distinctly shaky Carlo Cudicini spilled a free-kick but it was all Tottenham, or all Keane more like, in the second half.

In the 74th minute, he rattled into the roof from 12 yards out after Aaron Lennon had pulled a cross back invitingly from the right.

Three minutes later, Keane again exposed Bikey's lack of pace as he ran on to a simple through-ball from impressive stand-in centre-half Tom Huddlestone.

And then three minutes from time it was embarrassingly easy again as Crouch, who had come on for Defoe after he dislocated his finger, flicked on with his head to send Keane clear and he lashed his shot between Jensen's legs. It was the 14th goal Burnley have conceded in just four away games this season. In stoppage time, Keane so nearly nudged home a fifth for himself from Vedran Corluka's cross.

As Coyle reflected: "When Robbie Keane is on form like that, he is world class."

So, after two straight defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea, Spurs have moved back into the top four - at least until Manchester City play West Ham tomorrow night.

They might be just a bit short to make Champions League football but this was further evidence they have the strength in depth to sustain a challenge, as Redknapp's pre-match selection dilemma - that he got spot-on - proved.

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