Tottenham start to see the green shoots of recovery

It was the reaction of a man whose team were struggling, yet at that stage Spurs were 3-0 up and cruising towards a crucial win thanks to some superb football in the opening 45 minutes.

Redknapp's response was that of a perfectionist - but also of a man who knows the prospect of relegation remains horribly real. This victory took Spurs up to 13th in the table, but they are still only three points above the Premier League's bottom three.

On Saturday, Spurs travel to Bolton trying to avoid their fourth defeat in the north-west this month after losses at Wigan, Burnley and Manchester United. Eight days later, they are back at White Hart Lane to face an Arsenal side desperate to make amends for allowing their rivals to escape Emirates Stadium with a 4-4 draw in October.

Make no mistake; Redknapp's team are still bang in trouble, and while this result and performance were welcome, it is at places like the Reebok Stadium where Spurs must show they have the stomach for the fight.

If they can repeat their first-half display in their forthcoming matches, however, they will not be in danger for much longer. The fear among supporters before kick-off was that Stoke's physical style would expose their team's weaknesses, yet Spurs showed they had far too much quality for Tony Pulis' off-colour team.

Although he was given plenty of room by Stoke's central midfield of Glenn Whelan and Amdy Faye, Luka Modric was outstanding for the home team.

The Croatian playmaker played a major role in the second and third goals, but his composure on the ball and ability to dictate the rhythm of the match were especially impressive.

Modric's central midfield partnership with the more prosaic Didier Zokora worked particularly well, and Redknapp now has the problem of fitting £14million signing Wilson Palacios into his starting XI.

He said: "I'll have to adjust the formation to get Palacios in, he has everything I want in a midfielder, but I also want Modric and Zokora in there. Zokora did a great job against Stoke by sitting in and letting Luka play. We have to go to Bolton and ensure we compete."

Redknapp's concern is understandable. In players like David Bentley, Aaron Lennon and Roman Pavlyuchenko, Spurs possess plenty of flair, but none of those three players relish the defensive side of the game.

Luckily for Redknapp, Spurs rarely found themselves on the back foot against Stoke, and the points were secured thanks to three goals in the opening 24 minutes.

After Michael Dawson had headed clear powerfully, Jermain Defoe released Lennon with a fine pass from right to left, allowing the winger to race into the penalty area and drive an angled effort through the legs of Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen.

Defoe doubled the lead - his third goal in five matches since returning to White Hart Lane - in the 21st minute, finishing off a fluent move involving Zokora, Modric and Pavlyuchenko for one of Spurs' best goals this season.

Three minutes later, the match was over when Stoke failed to pick up Modric at a short corner, allowing the midfielder to chip the ball into the penalty area for the unmarked Dawson to head confidently past Sorensen.

Bentley, Defoe and Pavlyuchenko all went close in the first half, but Spurs failed to show the same verve after the break. James Beattie pulled a goal back for Stoke in the 57th minute, but it was the only time goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini was beaten during an assured debut.

Redknapp added: "Carlo was excellent. He gives you confidence, which is why I signed him. Heurelho Gomes could be back from injury for the weekend, and I would think he would want to be fit after seeing our performance against Stoke."

Bentley was booked for a foul on Matthew Etherington in the first half, his fifth yellow card of the season, which will rule him out of the derby match with Arsenal on 8 February.

It was another blow in a difficult first season at Spurs for the 24-year-old, who has so far only showed glimpses of the talent which persuaded the club to pay Blackburn £15m for him.

Indeed, it is troubling for Bentley that Redknapp is considering a change of formation. At Bolton, Spurs could employ a 4-1-3-2 formation, with Zokora the holding midfielder behind Palacios, Modric and Lennon, with Defoe and Pavlyuchenko in attack.

Spurs have already done deals worth a combined £33m to bring Defoe, Palacios and Pascal Chimbonda to White Hart Lane, and Redknapp is not finished yet, with "one very good forward" still on his wish list.

Redknapp will stand or fall by how well his January signings perform, and Spurs need many more displays like the one in the first half if they are to get out of trouble.