Tottenham beat Charlton 5-1 on Savio debut before drawing Liverpool in League Cup
Tottenham Hotspur defeated Charlton Athletic 5-1 in the League Cup second round on Wednesday before being drawn to face Liverpool at Anfield in the third round.
Tottenham advance with five-goal display
Tottenham Hotspur secured a 5-1 victory over Championship club Charlton Athletic at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday, advancing to the third round of the League Cup. The win followed an opening Premier League weekend in which Roberto De Zerbi's side suffered a 3-0 defeat away to Brentford. Spurs, who are four-times winners of the competition and have spent more than £300 million in the summer transfer window, initially struggled to break through a heavily changed Charlton team. The deadlock ended in the 41st minute when 19-year-old Mikey Moore struck a rising shot into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area, marking his first goal for Tottenham since January 2025. Dominic Solanke added a second goal in the 45th minute, turning inside the box and finishing with his right foot.
Debut goal for Savio and late goals
Tottenham extended their advantage in the second half when substitute Kevin Danso scored with his first touch in the 67th minute, flicking in a header from a free kick. Brazilian winger Savio, who joined Spurs from Manchester City for an initial £75 million ($102 million), entered the pitch in the 71st minute to a standing ovation. In the 82nd minute, Savio beat two defenders on an inward run before driving a low shot inside the near post, celebrating the debut strike by lifting the corner flag. Spurs scored a fifth in the 85th minute when another effort by Savio deflected off the thigh of club captain Ben Davies. Charlton defender Lloyd Jones pulled one back for the away side, converting a header from a corner.
- Mikey Moore scores his first Tottenham goal since January 2025 with a shot into the top corner
- Dominic Solanke doubles Tottenham's lead with a right-foot finish inside the box
- Kevin Danso scores with a flicked header on his first touch from a free kick
- Savio comes on as a substitute to make his debut following his £75 million transfer
- Savio beats two defenders and scores Tottenham's fourth goal inside the near post
- Ben Davies deflects Savio's shot into the net for Tottenham's fifth goal
De Zerbi outlines winger targets
Following the match, De Zerbi commented on the performance of Savio and detailed the offensive expectations set for the squad. Tottenham finished 17th in the Premier League in the previous campaign, and the manager emphasized that attacking output from wide areas will be central to improving their league standing.
I spoke with him and we put the goal on 10 or 12 goals because we need 10 or 12 goals from the wingers. Last season we suffered too much because also the number of goals were not enough to compete for nothing more than that position.
European contenders enter third-round draw
The draw for the third round concluded after Wednesday's matches, introducing nine Premier League teams qualified for European competition: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Sunderland. The draw generated up to six all-top-flight fixtures, headlined by Tottenham drawing an away match against Liverpool at Anfield. The fixture will see defender Andrew Robertson face his former club following his summer move to north London.
Reigning Premier League champions Arsenal will travel to promoted Ipswich Town, while defending League Cup winners Manchester City host Norwich City. Manchester United will host Brighton & Hove Albion, and 2025 winners Newcastle United travel to Millwall after defeating West Bromwich Albion 3-2 behind two goals from Harvey Barnes. Xabi Alonso's Chelsea will play Leeds United if they defeat Luton Town on Thursday. Fleetwood Town, the only fourth-tier team remaining in the tournament, will host Sheffield United. Third-round fixtures are set for the weeks starting 7 September and 14 September.
