Tottenham Dominates Charlton with Savio's Stellar Performance
Tottenham had to be patient. For 40 minutes they probed, prodded and circled Charlton without landing the punch. Then, just before the interval, the game cracked open – and Spurs never looked back.
Two goals in three minutes from Mikey Moore and Dominic Solanke sent Roberto De Zerbi’s side in 2-0 up at half-time, a scoreline that felt decisive the way Charlton’s resistance suddenly sagged. By full-time, it was a rout. Spurs were 5-0 up before a late consolation denied them the clean sheet their dominance deserved.
Moore’s spark, Solanke’s touch
The breakthrough came from the brightest talent on the pitch. Mikey Moore, only 18 but already carrying a certain inevitability about him, broke the deadlock with a moment of genuine quality. Strong, balanced and fearless, he rode challenges, kept his feet, and finally found the finish that Spurs’ pressure had been demanding. From that point on, his confidence soared. Every time he picked up the ball, Charlton backed off. Every time he drove at them, panic followed.
Solanke, leading the line, added the second on the stroke of half-time with the kind of centre-forward play De Zerbi will build around. Dropping deep, winning fouls, shielding the ball – he had already laid the groundwork. Then came his reward: a sharp turn, a clean finish, and the sense that once his fitness peaks, he will be the undisputed first choice.
At the back, Spurs were calm. Ben Davies and Jan Paul van Hecke were barely troubled, but they never switched off. Van Hecke dictated the tempo from deep, misplacing just six of his 96 passes and hitting more balls into the final third than anyone else on the pitch before coming off midway through the second half. Davies, steady and unfussed, would later find his name on the scoresheet in the most unlikely way.
Midfield control and a ruthless second half
Charlton rarely got into the areas they wanted. Archie Gray worked tirelessly on the right, overlapping to support Moore, but his final ball lacked the precision to match his intent. When faced one-on-one with Millenic Alli he looked slightly cautious, yet Charlton’s inability to sustain attacks meant those duels never truly developed.
In midfield, Rodrigo Bentancur took a while to settle. Early on he mixed sharp interventions with a few rash moments, but once Spurs tightened their grip on possession, he began to dominate. Strong in the tackle, composed under pressure, he became the pivot around which Spurs moved the ball.
Alongside him, £85million summer signing Mateus Fernandes began to show why the club invested so heavily. On his full debut, he glided out of tight spaces, offering a constant outlet through the centre. When he was at his most fluid, Charlton simply could not get near him. His finest contribution came from a dead ball: a delicate, clipped free-kick that invited Kevin Danso to attack. The defender obliged, meeting it with his first touch off the bench to make it 3-0 in the 67th minute, taking a whack to the head in the process.
Lucas Bergvall looked far more assured than in his previous outing against Brentford, using the ball with greater confidence. Destiny Udogie, handed his first start of the season as he steps back towards full fitness, threw himself into challenges and gradually pushed higher, reminding everyone of the attacking thrust he brings from left-back.
Mathys Tel buzzed around the final third, heavily involved but just out of sync when it came to the finish. On another day he scores; on this one, he had to watch others cash in as Spurs cut loose.
Savio’s statement cameo
If the first hour belonged to Moore and Solanke, the closing stages were all about Savio. The £85million Brazilian stepped off the bench to a roar and immediately raised the temperature inside the ground.
His first goal in a Spurs shirt came with no fuss and plenty of power – a low, driven strike from the edge of the box that flew past the goalkeeper and made it 4-0. De Zerbi had publicly demanded more end product from him. The response was emphatic.
Minutes later, Savio was at it again. Cutting inside, he let fly once more. This time the shot took a wicked deflection off Davies and wrong-footed the keeper. Officially, the goal went down as Davies’, the Wales international credited somewhat sheepishly after knowing little about it. For Savio, it was almost a brace. For Spurs, it was 5-0 and turning into a training exercise.
On the right, Pedro Porro’s introduction added another angle to Spurs’ play. Where Gray had brought industry, Porro brought incision, changing the picture with his delivery and movement. It’s a dimension De Zerbi will be relieved to have back.
At the other end, Antonin Kinsky had done enough to be proud of, producing one strong save in each half. The late goal he conceded to Jones, which denied Danso and the defence their clean sheet, will sting. Danso in particular, having scored and then marshalled a largely comfortable back line, had earned the shut-out.
Spurs, though, walk away with something more valuable than a perfect defensive record: rhythm, goals, and a glimpse of a front line that can hurt teams in waves. Moore sparking it, Solanke anchoring it, Savio electrifying it off the bench – if this is only the start, how high can De Zerbi push this side?
