Tottenham turned a slow afternoon into a statement win, dismantling Charlton with a ruthless 5-1 display built on patience, power and a glimpse of what Roberto De Zerbi’s new-look side might become.
For 40 minutes, it was all probing and half-chances. Then, in the space of three breathless minutes on the stroke of half-time, the game was ripped away from Charlton and placed firmly in Spurs’ hands.
Mikey Moore lit the fuse. Dominic Solanke rammed it home. After that, it was a procession.
Moore’s spark, Solanke’s authority
Spurs had been dominant without being devastating, but Moore changed the mood with a moment that felt like a line in the sand for the teenager.
Rated an 8, he broke the deadlock with a flash of individual brilliance, showing the strength of a seasoned forward and the close control of a street footballer as he wriggled through challenges and finally made Charlton pay. Once he scored, he played like a man who knew he belonged at this level – constantly asking questions, driving at defenders, carrying Tottenham’s biggest attacking threat.
Solanke, given a 7, followed up almost immediately. The centre-forward, still playing his way to peak fitness, produced the kind of centre-forward play De Zerbi will build around: dropping deep, winning fouls, protecting the ball, then spinning in the box to finish with real composure. Two goals in three minutes, and Charlton’s resistance was gone.
By half-time, Tottenham were cruising at 2-0, but the scoreline didn’t yet hint at the second-half avalanche to come.
Savio’s entrance and a second-half demolition
If the first half was about patience and control, the second was about impact – and nobody embodied that more than Savio.
The £85million signing, given a 9, came on to a roar and wasted no time justifying the noise. His first Spurs goal was a low, violent strike from the edge of the box, hit with the kind of conviction that tells you a player has heard the price tag talk and decided to answer with his feet.
He wasn’t done. Driving at Charlton again, he let fly once more; this time the effort took a deflection off Ben Davies and wrong-footed the goalkeeper. It went down as an own goal, but it was Savio’s aggression that forced the issue and pushed Spurs into a 5-0 lead. De Zerbi had challenged the Brazilian to deliver more end product. He got it, instantly.
Between those two Savio moments came another powerful symbol of Spurs’ depth.
Kevin Danso, rated 7, stepped off the bench and scored with his very first touch. Meeting a clipped free-kick from Mateus Fernandes, he buried his header and took a whack on the head in the process. A defender scoring from a set piece at 3-0 up usually feels like a flourish. Here, it felt like a warning: Tottenham can hurt you from everywhere.
Midfield control and defensive calm
Behind the fireworks, there was structure and control.
Mateus Fernandes, on his full debut and marked with a 7, offered the kind of fluidity Spurs have paid heavily for. At his best, he glided away from pressure and drove through the middle, linking play and providing the deft delivery for Danso’s header. It was not a flawless performance, but it was full of hints that he will become a central figure.
Rodrigo Bentancur, rated 6, started a little ragged but grew into the game as Spurs tightened their grip on possession. Strong in the challenge, confident receiving under pressure, he gradually imposed himself in the way De Zerbi demands from his midfielders.
Lucas Bergvall, also a 6, looked far more assured after a difficult outing against Brentford. He used the ball with more confidence, and this felt like an important step in his adaptation rather than another test failed.
At the back, Jan Paul van Hecke quietly dictated the tempo. Given a 7, he misplaced only six of his 96 passes and no player on the pitch played more balls into the final third. He set the platform, then made way midway through the second half with the job essentially done.
Ben Davies, also a 7, had a largely uneventful afternoon defensively – which is exactly what a centre-back wants in a game like this. Charlton rarely troubled him, and his name only entered the drama when Savio’s shot deflected off him and into the net. It will go down as a slightly unfortunate own goal, but his overall display remained assured.
Destiny Udogie’s 6 was about minutes rather than headlines. On his first start of the season, he threw himself into the contest, gradually showing more of his attacking instincts as his fitness builds.
Full-backs, forwards and the late blemish
On the right, Archie Gray earned a 6 for his work rate rather than his final product. He repeatedly surged forward to support Moore but too often lacked quality with the last ball. Defensively, he looked a touch cautious when isolated against Millenic Alli, yet Charlton rarely managed to get the ball into dangerous areas once Spurs were ahead.
Pedro Porro’s 6 off the bench underlined his importance. His presence alone changes the angle of Tottenham’s attacks, and De Zerbi will be relieved to have him available again as the fixtures pile up.
Up front, Mathys Tel walked away with a 7 and mixed emotions. He was heavily involved, constantly on the move, but the rhythm never quite clicked for him in front of goal. On another day, he scores. On this one, he had to watch as others filled their boots.
At the back, Danso’s frustration at not keeping a clean sheet was understandable. Tottenham’s defensive unit had looked in control for long stretches, only for Charlton’s Jones to head home late on and deny both Danso and goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky a shutout.
Kinsky, rated 6, had produced a strong save in each half and, for most of the afternoon, looked set for the perfect day. One lapse, one header, one goal. It will sting, even in a 5-1 win.
A big win, five goals, and a first real glimpse of Savio and Fernandes in full flow. De Zerbi has options, he has depth, and he has a forward line that looks increasingly dangerous. The question now is simple: how far can this version of Tottenham push once the real tests arrive?
