Premier League: Norwich City 0 Tottenham 2

Tottenham put daylight between themselves and their Champions League rivals with a convincing 2-0 victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road.

Two goals from Gareth Bale – the second a majestic solo effort – were enough to settle the English Premier League encounter on Tuesday, as Harry Redknapp’s side dominated from start to finish against Paul Lambert’s brave City.

Tottenham were buoyed by the return of Rafael Van Der Vaart to the starting XI, as they looked to secure a win which would put some distance between themselves and the chasing pack of Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Norwich, meanwhile, opted for a 4-4-2 system, with Steve Morison paired up front with Grant Holt as the hosts looked to add to their impressive haul of 27 goals – more than any other side outside the top five this season.

The match kicked off in front of a vociferous sell-out crowd at Carrow Road, with the home side looking to continue their fine home form against a Spurs team bidding to haul in the Manchester clubs at the top of the table.

The visitors controlled the proceedings for the first half-hour but were unable to convert their possession into chances, with wayward shots from Kyle Walker and Younes Kaboul and a deflected Bale strike the only efforts Spurs could muster.

That was until just after the 30-minute mark, when two clear-cut chances came in quick succession.

First, Bale robbed Russell Martin on the edge of the area, before driving in to the box only to fire his shot well over John Ruddy’s crossbar.

Emmanuel Adebayor then had an opportunity after being played through from a glorious long ball from Luka Modric, but his first touch was too heavy and he only succeeded in poking the ball out of play beyond the on-rushing Ruddy.

Bale then teed himself up on the edge of the box with a glorious first touch, but his left-footed shot was well parried by the goalkeeper.

At the other end, Morison tried to curl a shot beyond Spurs shot-stopper Brad Friedel after being played in by Holt, but got his angles wrong.

The hosts were struggling to create anything of note, however, as the visitors dominated possession, with Modric pulling the strings in the middle of the park.

Tottenham had a shout for a penalty turned down on the cusp of half-time when William Gallas was tripped deliberately by Morison in the run-up to a corner kick, but the clash went unnoticed by the officials and the scores remained level at the break.

The second half started at the same high tempo, with Spurs continuing to look dangerous in wide areas whenever Bale and Modric got in to space.

It was Norwich, however, who came closest to opening the scoring. Andrew Surman was brought down by Gallas on the edge of the area, and the midfielder curled the resulting kick inches wide of Friedel’s post on 51 minutes.

It proved to be the hosts’ one and only clear opportunity.

Because just as Norwich looked to be asserting themselves on the match, Spurs finally broke the deadlock.

Van Der Vaart slipped the ball through to Adebayor in the box, and the Togo striker showed some great footwork to keep hold of the ball.

He then played it across to Gareth Bale, who slotted home low under Ruddy to hand Spurs the lead after 56 minutes.

Walker then had the chance to double the advantage a few minutes later after being teed up by Benoit Assou-Ekotto, but his shot once again flew wildly over the bar.

The visitors did not have long to wait to double their lead, however.

Bale was played through by Modric on 67 minutes, and the Welshman ran straight through the heart of the Norwich rear-guard before chipping coolly over Ruddy to dampen the spirits of the home fans.

The Norwich faithful tried to rouse their beleaguered side, but Spurs were in total control of the game, with Modric majestic in midfield alongside Sandro and Scott Parker.

Harry Redknapp was able to use his substitutions to give a handful of first-team stars a well-earned rest, as his side cruised through the final few minutes to victory.