The matter was all the more gratifying on a personal note for Defoe with England manager Sven Goran Eriksson watching Spurs book a home tie with Nottingham Forest in the next round.
The England manager had also been in attendance at White Hart Lane the previous week when the striker had been upstaged by Mido's goalscoring debut.
Perhaps as a result Eriksson chose to leave Defoe on the bench in last week’s goalless international friendly at Villa Park.
His 18th and 19th goals of the season on Saturday were however clear signals to the Swede he is knocking on the door. Tottenham coach Martin Jol (below right) has the enviable task of deciding which out of three strikers can bring the best out of Defoe at club level.
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Tottenham playmaker Michael Carrick, overlooked completely by Eriksson for the friendly at Villa Park last week, reckons Defoe has benefited enormously from his move across London a year ago.
"You don't really need to give him a chance because he creates them for himself. He has definitely got better since he came to Tottenham. As soon as I signed for the club I noticed there was a definite change in him.
"Now when you see him in training you can see he has taken his game up another notch. He has always been a good finisher and always scored goals. But he offers a lot more now and that is why he is carving out an England career," said Carrick.
Frank Arnesen's conversation with Eriksson in the stand on Saturday must have drifted onto the subject of Defoe’s inclusion in England’s forthcoming World Cup qualifiers. The Tottenham sporting director is currently in talks to move Defoe’s salary into the same bracket as the likes of Robbie Keane.
"Jermain is unbelievable. He missed a chance in the first half and then soon after he scored from another. He showed you cannot sulk and let it get you down.
"There is not another striker like him. He doesn't need time or space to score a goal. He is at the top of his game, he's only 22, and is scoring goals nearly every weekend," said Arnesen.