Tottenham Hotspur secured a much-needed victory at their home stadium, overcoming Charlton Athletic 5-1 in a dominant Carabao Cup display. The win serves as a vital morale booster following the club’s disappointing 3-0 Premier League loss to Brentford last Saturday. With no European football on the calendar this season, manager Roberto De Zerbi is prioritizing deep cup runs to build momentum, and this performance provided the perfect foundation.
The breakthrough arrived courtesy of 19-year-old Mikey Moore, who fired a clinical, vicious strike from the edge of the area to open the scoring. Moore, who previously netted against Elfsborg in the 2025 Europa League, continues to be a subject of interest for FC Köln, though his performance here—marked by swagger and technical skill—reminded the home crowd of his potential.
Dominic Solanke doubled the lead after Charlton’s defense faltered during a scramble in the box, allowing the striker to sweep a precise finish into the bottom corner. Substitute Kevin Danso further extended the lead with a header from a Mateus Fernandes free-kick, though the goal came at a physical cost as Danso required treatment for a bloodied injury sustained during the aerial challenge.
The evening’s most anticipated moment arrived when Roberto De Zerbi introduced his £75 million signing, Sávio, for his debut. The Brazilian winger made an immediate impact, needing only 11 minutes to find the net. He glided past his markers from the right flank before tucking a fizzing low shot into the near corner. De Zerbi, who has challenged the forward to record 10-12 goals this season, praised the debut as “a perfect day for him.”
Sávio was also instrumental in the fifth goal, showing composure to navigate past two defenders before his shot deflected off teammate Ben Davies and into the net. Charlton, who had made 10 changes from their weekend win over West Ham, struggled to contain the hosts. Manager Nathan Jones described the result as “absolutely disastrous,” though his side managed a late consolation goal through substitute Lloyd Jones.
The match also saw the return of several key players to the pitch. Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mateus Fernandes, and Solanke all started after being limited to the bench against Brentford, while Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven made appearances as substitutes. The squad remains focused on their upcoming Premier League fixture against Newcastle, with Marcos Senesi and Sandro Tonali notably absent from the matchday group.
Looking ahead, Tottenham faces a challenging third-round draw against Liverpool at Anfield. De Zerbi expressed confidence in the upcoming tie, stating that if the team intends to win the competition, they must be prepared to defeat top-tier opponents. The third-round fixtures are scheduled for the weeks beginning September 7 and September 14.
In other Carabao Cup action, Burnley suffered a setback as they were eliminated by Bradford City in a 4-2 penalty shootout after a goalless 90 minutes. Bradford goalkeeper Jon McCracken proved the hero by saving a saving a crucial save from Jacob Bruun Larsen, while Zeki Amdouni hit the post for the visitors. Bradford, the 2013 finalists, will now face Leyton Orient in the next round.
Other notable third-round matchups include Ipswich against Arsenal, Manchester United facing Brighton, Coventry taking on Aston Villa, and holders Manchester City meeting Norwich. These ties will also take place in the weeks commencing September 7 and 14, as the competition progresses toward the latter stages. The report also notes that spurs needed this tonic for another reason – to begin the clean-up operation after Saturday’s awful 3-0 defeat at Brentford. The report also notes that the homegrown 19-year-old broke the deadlock with a vicious drive from the edge of the area; it was the purity of the strike that made it. The report also notes that his markers close and yet nowhere near, his control of the situation total before the fizzing low finish into the near corn, it took Sávio just 11 minutes to score and it was a lovely goal – a glide inside from the right. The report also notes that a new season at the snazziest modern stadium in England and something extremely welcome for Tottenham. The report also notes that there were only four of them last time out; three in the Premier League with the final one – over Everton on the last day – helping them to avoid relegation. The report also notes that the season could not have started any worse. The report also notes that a decent cup run or runs are imperative and Spurs got themselves up and running in this competition on a night when everything came together perfectly, with no European football. The report also notes that something to wet the whistle for the bigger challenges ahead, it was a devastating cameo from Sávio.
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