Tottenham took a giant stride towards the Carling Cup final with a stunning second-half show to destroy Burnley in the semi-final first leg.

Martin Paterson shocked White Hart Lane with an early strike.

Michael Dawson headed Spurs level two minutes after the break and substitute Jamie O'Hara volleyed in a second five minutes later as Burnley crumbled.

Roman Pavlyuchenko's crisp effort and Michael Duff's own goal gave the hosts a crucial advantage for the second leg.

Burnley's early dominance threatened to wreck a carnival atmosphere as cup holders Spurs paraded returning hero Jermain Defoe before kick-off after his switch from Portsmouth.

But Owen Coyle's side ran out of steam after Dawson equalised so early in the second half.

And while counterpart Harry Redknapp will not regard the second leg at Turf Moor as a formality, it will take a miraculous effort from Burnley to reach Wembley.

The Clarets' fearless passing approach has already accounted for Fulham, Chelsea and Arsenal in their run to the last four - and they surprised Spurs with that early strike.

Chris Eagles had already signalled that he was in the mood to give Gareth Bale a torrid time, and he skipped away from the defender to cross for Paterson to turn in the simplest of finishes.

The former Manchester United winger then set up Robbie Blake for a header that was only inches off target in the 23rd minute. The Londoners mounted their first serious threat seconds later when David Bentley's corner was met by Jonathan Woodgate, and when Pavlyuchenko tried to turn it beyond Brian Jensen, the Burnley keeper made a stunning stop.

The visitors suffered a blow when influential midfield man Joey Gudjonsson limped off with a hamstring injury as Spurs finally managed to get a foothold in the game. Redknapp sent on O'Hara for the ineffective Bentley at half-time - and the change had an instant and dramatic impact.

O'Hara's corner, two minutes after the break, was met by Dawson's powerful header for the equaliser. And five minutes later an horrendous error from Jensen gifted the home side a second when he allowed O'Hara's volley to squirm through his grasp.

Redknapp's side had transformed the game, but Burnley's Blake was only inches off target with an excellent curling effort from 20 yards.

Paterson's persistence then caused confusion in the Tottenham penalty area, but keeper Heurelho Gomes cleared the danger.

Burnley's first-half composure had disappeared and Spurs hit the Clarets again with two more goals inside three minutes to seal the victory - and almost certainly a place in a second successive final.

Pavlyuchenko drove home the third after 65 minutes to maintain his record of scoring in every round of the competition before Michael Duff glanced O'Hara's free-kick past Jensen into his own net.

It completed an astonishing turnaround from a spell when the Championship side looked poised to spring a real shock on their Premier League opponents.

And it will now take an unlikely collapse from Spurs to give Burnley any hope of facing either Manchester United or Derby in the final.