Sávio nets on debut as Spurs rout Charlton 5-1 in Carabao Cup

Tottenham beat Charlton 5-1 in the Carabao Cup at what the report described as "the snazziest modern stadium in England" on 26 August 2026, with new signing Sávio scoring on his debut.

The victory provided a response to Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat at Brentford and ended a run of poor home form that saw the club register only four home wins last season; three in the Premier League and a final-day win over Everton that, the report says, helped them avoid relegation. Roberto De Zerbi selected a stronger squad than at Brentford, starting Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mateus Fernandes and Dominic Solanke, while Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven were named among the substitutes; Marcos Senesi and Sandro Tonali were not in the matchday squad.

Spurs struggled to create early openings and did not look threatening until around the 30th minute, when Solanke had a shot blocked and Archie Gray forced a low save from Tiernan Brooks. Charlton also had chances before then: Greg Docherty produced a driven effort that Antonin Kinsky saved and Nathan Asiimwe headed narrowly wide.

The deadlock was broken by homegrown 19-year-old Mikey Moore, who moved inside from the right and produced a left-footed strike that beat Brooks. Moore’s goal was only his second for Spurs, the report notes, his previous strike coming against Elfsborg in the Europa League in January 2025.

A period of hesitant defending in Charlton’s box allowed Lucas Bergvall’s blocked attempt to fall kindly and Solanke swept a clinical finish into the bottom corner to make it 2-0. Later, De Zerbi brought on Pedro Porro, Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso; Danso’s first touch was a header from Mateus Fernandes’s free-kick that found the net, and he emerged from the aerial challenge with a bloodied head after contact with Charlton substitute Danny McNamara.

De Zerbi then introduced Sávio, the club’s £75m signing from Manchester City, and it took him just 11 minutes to score on debut with a glide inside from the right and a fizzing low shot into the near corner. He followed that by cutting in again, feinting past one defender and escaping another before a shot ricocheted off team-mate Ben Davies and went in.

Charlton’s afternoon was disrupted early when Collins Sichenje and Billy Koumetio both went off injured inside the first 15 minutes and Sichenje required a stretcher. Around 6,000 travelling Charlton supporters were in attendance and the visitors grabbed a late consolation when substitute Lloyd Jones headed home from a corner.

Elsewhere in the competition, Bradford City beat Burnley 4-2 on penalties after a goalless 90 minutes, with Bantams goalkeeper Jon McCracken saving from Jacob Bruun Larsen following Zeki Amdouni’s missed spot-kick that hit the post; Burnley made nine changes and Bradford will now face Leyton Orient in the last 32. Standout third-round ties named in the report include Liverpool v Tottenham, Ipswich v Arsenal, Manchester United v Brighton, Coventry v Aston Villa and holders Manchester City v Norwich, with ties to be played in the weeks commencing 7 and 14 Sept.

The third-round draw pairs Tottenham with Liverpool, and that tie is scheduled as part of the fixtures to be played in the weeks commencing 7 and 14 September.