Tottenham Hotspur put a miserable start to the season behind them with a comprehensive 5-1 victory over Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup second round, a performance that offered Roberto De Zerbi's side much-needed relief after their opening-day 3-0 defeat at Brentford.
The headline act was £75m summer signing Sávio, who marked his debut with a goal and an assist inside a devastating cameo appearance. Introduced in the 71st minute, the Brazilian winger needed just 11 minutes to get off the mark, cutting in from the right before drilling a low finish into the near corner. He was involved again soon after, cutting inside once more before his shot deflected in off teammate Ben Davies for what was credited as an own contribution to the scoreline, if not officially his goal.
"A perfect day for him," De Zerbi said of Sávio's introduction, before revealing he had set the winger a target of reaching double figures for goals by the end of the campaign.
Before Sávio's introduction, it was 19-year-old academy graduate Mikey Moore who had grabbed the early spotlight. The youngster broke the deadlock with a stunning strike from the edge of the box, cutting inside from the right before unleashing a left-footed effort that flew past Charlton goalkeeper Tiernan Brooks. Moore continued to look lively throughout, showing flashes of skill and confidence that drew warm applause from the home crowd. His previous Spurs goal had come against Elfsborg in the Europa League in January 2025, after which teammate James Maddison had likened him to Neymar.
Dominic Solanke doubled the lead right before half-time with a composed finish after good build-up play, capitalizing on hesitant Charlton defending inside the box. The second half saw substitute Kevin Danso make an immediate impact, heading home from Mateus Fernandes' free-kick with his very first touch after coming on, despite picking up a knock in the aerial challenge that led to the goal.
Charlton, who made ten changes from their weekend win at West Ham, struggled to cope with Tottenham's quality once the hosts found their rhythm, though they did have moments of promise earlier in the game through Greg Docherty and Nathan Asiimwe. Substitute Lloyd Jones did pull a late consolation goal back with a header from a corner in the 87th minute, but it did little to change the complexion of a one-sided contest.
Charlton manager Nathan Jones did not mince his words afterward, describing the display as "absolutely disastrous" and adding: "This was a game we didn't need."
For Tottenham, the win represented a significant confidence boost following their dismal Premier League opener, and De Zerbi took the opportunity to reintroduce several key players who had been sidelined for the Brentford match, including Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Bentancur, Fernandes and Solanke in the starting lineup. Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven, both absent through injury for the league opener, returned from the bench.
The victory sets up a mouth-watering third-round tie against Liverpool at Anfield, a fixture that will also mark the return of new Spurs signing Andy Robertson to his former home ground after nine years with the Merseyside club. De Zerbi expressed no fear ahead of the daunting encounter, stating: "It's a great game. If we want to win the competition, we have to win these games."
Other standout ties in the third round include Ipswich hosting Premier League champions Arsenal, Manchester United facing Brighton, and holders Manchester City welcoming Norwich. Elsewhere in the second round, Bradford City eliminated Burnley on penalties, while Everton thrashed Preston 4-0 behind a Thierno Barry hat-trick.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football, Standard Football, Independent Football, and BBC Sport Football.