Tottenham's Dominant Victory as Savio Shines in Second Half
Tottenham had to be patient, but once they found a way through, Charlton were swept aside.
For most of the first half Spurs probed, pushed and recycled the ball without quite landing the punch their dominance deserved. Then, right on the stroke of half-time, the game flipped.
Mikey Moore, already buzzing around the final third, produced the moment that broke Charlton’s resistance. A burst of strength, tight control, defenders bouncing off him as he wriggled through, and the finish to match. The deadlock gone, the tension with it.
Barely three minutes later, Dominic Solanke twisted, turned and buried a classy effort to make it 2-0 before the interval. From a tight contest to a commanding lead in a flash. Spurs walked off at half-time with the tie in their grip and Charlton looking shell-shocked.
Second-half surge
Any hope of a quiet restart vanished as Spurs turned the screw after the break. Roberto De Zerbi’s side began to enjoy themselves, the tempo rising as Charlton retreated deeper and deeper.
The pressure finally told from a set piece. On came Kevin Danso, and with his very first touch in the 67th minute he met Mateus Fernandes’ clipped free-kick with a firm header. 3-0, a goal straight off the training ground, and a painful whack to the head for his troubles.
From there, it became Savio’s stage.
The £85million Brazilian, introduced to huge noise from the home support, wasted no time justifying the fee. Picking up the ball on the edge of the box, he drove a low, powerful strike into the corner for his first Spurs goal. De Zerbi had challenged him for more end product; the answer came emphatically.
Spurs were rampant now. Savio again cut in and let fly, and this time his effort took a wicked deflection off Ben Davies and flew past the goalkeeper. Officially an own goal, but all born of the Brazilian’s ambition and aggression in the final third. By then, the scoreboard read 5-0 and Charlton were simply trying to limit the damage.
A late consolation denied Antonin Kinsky the clean sheet his performance deserved, with Jones heading in after the goalkeeper had produced strong saves in both halves. It barely dented the mood.
Player ratings
- Antonin Kinsky 6
- Archie Gray 6
- Ben Davies 7
- Jan Paul van Hecke 7
- Destiny Udogie 6
- Rodrigo Bentancur 6
- Mikey Moore 8
- Lucas Bergvall 6
- Mateus Fernandes 7
- Mathys Tel 7
- Dominic Solanke 7
- Pedro Porro 6
- Kevin Danso 7
- Savio 9
The crowd’s reaction said it all when he stepped on. The performance backed it up. A thumping first Spurs goal from the edge of the area, relentless intent whenever he received the ball and the shot that deflected off Davies for the fifth. De Zerbi wanted end product from his new star; on this evidence, he might have found his new game-changer.
