Harry Redknapp may have banned alcohol from the players’ lounge, but the happy punters leaving White Hart Lane last night are unlikely to have been so abstemious. With the gassy Carling out of their system, Tottenham Hotspur fans can almost certainly look forward to sipping champagne in the Barclays Premier League for another season after a resounding victory moved them farther away from the relegation zone.

Middlesbrough, by contrast, played as though they had overindulged after beating Liverpool at the weekend and are one place off the bottom.

Tottenham responded to their Carling Cup final defeat to Manchester United on Sunday with one of their most professional performances of the season; their passing was as crisp and clear as their heads.

Robbie Keane was the central figure in scoring his first goal since returning to the club and playing a part in each of the others, but, along with the rampaging Luka Modric, Aaron Lennon was also influential and deserved his brace.

Lennon’s return to form after stagnating over the past couple of seasons has been timely, with this outstanding all-round performance witnessed by Fabio Capello. The 21-year-old has been the most obvious beneficiary of the Redknapp regime, with his performances improving dramatically — just as David Bentley’s have declined — as shown by the fact that he has scored four goals in his past six matches. With Bentley out of the picture and Shaun Wright-Phillips inconsistent, an England recall could be on the cards, at least according to his club manager.

“Aaron’s in fantastic form,” Redknapp said. “Every time he got the ball it looked as if something was going to happen. He’s flying at the moment. The England manager was here again after seeing him on Sunday and he’s got a terrific chance of getting back in that squad. He’s a kid learning the game. His final ball can still get better, but it’s improving all the time. I put him back in the team as soon as I came here and he’s responded. Getting those goals will be great for his confidence.”

Keane’s quality has never been in doubt, although after enduring six miserable months at Liverpool, the Ireland striker will have been relieved to rediscover the joy of scoring for

Tottenham on his third appearance. While Redknapp still harbours reservations about whether he can play with Jermain Defoe, there were promising signs of a growing understanding with Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Keane’s first league goal since Boxing Day was a gimme, which was gratefully accepted. Modric’s ninth-minute corner from the left was flicked on at the near post by Michael Dawson, creating the space for Keane to tap in at the far post. As the forward celebrated his first goal for Tottenham since a 1-0 win away to Reading last May with his arms outstretched, it was as if the club captain had never been away.

While Redknapp’s wife, Sandra — and possibly even Darren Bent — could have scored Tottenham’s opener, their other goals contained elements of real quality. Keane was involved in all three, taking advantage of a slip from Robert Huth to play the ball through to Modric in the fourteenth minute, with the Croatia midfield player crossing from the right for Pavlyuchenko to score his thirteenth goal of the season. A more accurate indication of his contribution, however, is shown by the fact that only four of them have come in the Premier League.

Tottenham’s third goal, five minutes before half-time, was the best of the lot. Benoît Assou-Ekotto, Jermaine Jenas and Wilson Palacios were involved in a slick passing move before the ball found its way to Keane. The 28-year-old then prompted the move of the match, turning almost 360 degrees to create space for himself before sliding the ball through the legs of the hapless Huth to Lennon, who beat Brad Jones with a neat finish at the near post.

Lennon added a second 11 minutes from the end after being played through another huge gap by Keane, leaving Gareth Southgate to lament his side’s defending. “You need hard work and discipline and we didn’t have enough of those qualities in the first half,” the Middlesbrough manager, who looked as if he could do with a strong drink, said.

Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-2): H Gomes — D Zokora, M Dawson, J Woodgate, B Assou-Ekotto — A Lennon, W Palacios, J Jenas (sub: T Huddlestone, 64min), L Modric (sub, J O’Hara, 73) — R Pavlyuchenko (sub: D Bent, 53), R Keane. Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, D Bentley, P Chimbonda, V Corluka.

Middlesbrough (4-4-2): B Jones — J Hoyte (sub: A Johnson, 70), D Wheater, R Huth (sub: A Taylor, 46), E Pogatetz — G O’Neil, M Bates, J Arca, S Downing — J Aliadière (sub: M King, 53), Tuncay Sanli. Substitutes not used: R Turnbull, M Emnes, Afonso Alves, J Walker. Booked: Pogatetz.

Referee: H Webb.