The Blades boss has told his side they need to win their remaining home games to stay up and they responded with a battling performance.
Spurs, in danger of getting sucked into danger zone, had gone five without a win but were overrun by the Sheffield side who are now ten points clear of the drop zone.
United were in trouble with less than two minutes gone after a swift move by Spurs down the right flank, full-back Pascal Chimbonda's long throw falling nicely for Teemu Tainio. The midfielder cleverly flicked the ball to Jermaine Jenas, who lobbed it over the head of the advancing Paddy Kenny from 12 yards.
Tainio was involved again minutes later, robbing Chris Armstrong before threading the ball to Robbie Keane but the Irish international tried his luck from the tightest of angles, the ball flashing wide of the far post with Dimitar Berbatov unmarked six yards out.
United, who have won just one of their last five league games, were handed a half chance Colin Kazim-Richards picking out Chris Lucketti, whose header fell nicely for Hulse, but his close-range strike lacked power and Paul Robinson smothered the ball on the line.
Spurs escaped in the 23rd minute after failing to clear a Kazim-Richards corner, Hulse powered in a header, beating Robinson, the ball crashed against the underside of the bar and bounced on the line as goalscorer Jenas hooked it clear.
Robinson kept out Michael Tonge's glancing header, with Hulse waiting to pounce, before United's pressure paid off in the 27th minute. Hulse again was the first to react, his downward header from eight yards beating Robinson and Benoit Assou-Ekotto guarding the far post, for his seventh of the season.
Jon Stead powered in two long-range strikes in quick succession, both kept out by the diving Robinson, before Kazim-Richards almost added a second for United, seeing his stinging shot deflected on its way to the top corner by Michael Dawson.
United swept ahead in the 62nd minute after Stephen Quinn was felled in the area by Tainio as he jumped to head clear, skipper Jagielka thumping the ball past Robinson from the penalty spot.
Hulse had a chance to kill off Spurs minutes later, but powered his shot on the turn high over the bar before Stead fired in a low cross from the right flank as Quinn slid in, but just failed to connect.
Sub Jermain Defoe almost found a way through in the dying minutes, but found his path blocked by Derek Geary and Jagielka as the Blades held on.