An 11th defeat in their last 12 away games leaves Watford still in need of a point to mathematically secure survival.

The Hornets were left to rue a host of missed chances after matching the sub-par host for long spells.

A bright start from Watford was undone on 16 minutes when goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis spilled a simple cross from the right and Eriksen teed up Alli to tap home his fourth goal in five games.

Watford had plenty of chances to be at least level at the break but was repeatedly denied by Hugo Lloris.

The French goalkeeper had cost Tottenham with a series of errors in recent weeks but saved well against Andre Grey, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Jose Holebas.

"For me the most important is to win. Of course, maybe, it wasn't a great performance, but Lloris showed fantastic skills and (showed) why he is one of the best keepers in the world," added Pochettino.

Having escaped unscathed before the break, Spurs doubled their lead three minutes after the restart.

An inopportune slip prevented Kane turning home a Son Heung-min cross, but the England international quickly picked himself up to slot home when Kieran Trippier flashed the loose ball back across goal.

Victory was Spurs' first in four games in all competitions as they bounced back from their FA Cup semifinal loss to Manchester United.

That defeat ensured Pochettino will still be without a trophy after four seasons in charge at Tottenham.

He thought the disappointment from that match was still evident in the atmosphere at Wembley.

"You felt during the game our fans were disappointed because of the defeat against Man Utd," he said. "The atmosphere wasn't great, but the most important (thing) is to be in the top four."