West Ham became the latest team to be swept aside by Gareth Bale on Monday evening, with the Welshman bagging his second double in successive Premier League games to earn a crucial 3-2 win for Tottenham.

His sublime strike in the dying minutes of the game ensured Spurs leapfrogged Chelsea into third place in the table, leading manager Andre Villas-Boas to suggest the 23-year-old should already be crowned Player of the Year.

And such an accolade is well within Bale's grasp, whose scinitillating form since the turn of the year has him following in the footsteps of former Premier League great and current Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

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