Savio scored and provided an assist on his Tottenham Hotspur debut as Roberto De Zerbi's side thrashed Charlton Athletic 5-1 in the Carabao Cup second round at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The 22-year-old Brazilian winger, who signed from Manchester City for £85 million on Monday, delivered a prompt response to critics questioning his transfer fee by scoring within 11 minutes of coming off the bench in the second half.
Tottenham had struggled for early rhythm against their Championship opponents before securing a convincing victory that advances them into the last 32 of the competition, easing pressure following an opening-day Premier League defeat at Brentford.
Charlton held firm for the opening 40 minutes, but 19-year-old winger Mikey Moore broke the deadlock in the 41st minute. Dancing into the penalty box from the right flank after Charlton's Millenic Alli slipped, Moore unleashed a left-footed shot that beat debutant goalkeeper Tiernan Brooks via a slight deflection.
The strike was Moore's second senior goal for Spurs and his first since January 2025, when he shone in a Europa League fixture against Elfsborg and prompted teammate James Maddison to compare him to Neymar. Moore had also scored twice in a 3-0 pre-season win against Hoffenheim.
Dominic Solanke doubled Tottenham's lead four minutes later in the 45th minute, volleying home his first goal of the season after a loose ball bounced in the penalty area.
De Zerbi introduced changes in the second half, and substitute defender Kevin Danso scored with his very first touch, heading in from a free kick before carrying on with his wounds taped up after colliding with a defender.
Savio then added Spurs' fourth goal 11 minutes into his 19-minute cameo, finishing neatly after a skilful dribble through the box. Three minutes later, Savio created another opening when his solo run resulted in a shot that clipped teammate Ben Davies and went in for the fifth goal, which was officially awarded to Davies.
Lloyd Jones scored a late goal for the visitors, but Tottenham comfortably closed out the match to secure their place in the third round before returning to league action at home against Newcastle United on Saturday.
De Zerbi sets goal target for new signing
Following the match, De Zerbi challenged Savio to reach between 10 and 12 goals this season, revealing that he had set that exact target during a conversation with the winger two days earlier.
Savio scored seven goals in two years at Manchester City, but De Zerbi stressed that top-level wingers must contribute higher goal tallies, recalling that Tottenham suffered last season because their wingers did not score enough goals to compete higher up the table.
De Zerbi said: "A perfect day for him. His biggest improvement is to increase the number of goals. His qualities, he is one of the best wingers but the best wingers score many goals."
He added: "I spoke with him two days ago, and we set the goal of 10-12 goals, we need 10-12 goals from the wingers. Last season we suffered too much because the number of goals were not enough to compete for more than that position."
The Tottenham manager had stated on the eve of the match that the Carabao Cup was no less important than the Premier League, highlighting the necessity of building momentum through consecutive victories.
Charlton suffer early double injury blow
Charlton manager Nathan Jones had made 10 changes from the lineup that defeated West Ham United in the Championship four days earlier, prioritising league commitments despite arriving at Tottenham on the back of three straight wins.
Billy Koumetio was the sole survivor from that victory, but Charlton's defensive setup fell apart inside the opening 15 minutes when Koumetio and central defensive partner Collins Sichenje both sustained injuries.
Sichenje hurt his knee in an innocuous clash with Mathys Tel and was stretchered off after attempting to play on, while Koumetio limped off at the same time, prompting Jones to describe the situation as "absolutely disastrous for us."
Jones added: "The romance is very nice, but this was a game we didn't need."
Before Spurs took control, Charlton threatened early when Lucas Bergvall was booked for bringing down Rob Apter on a dangerous break, while Toni Kinsky made a flying save from Greg Docherty and Nathan Asiimwe headed wide.
Charlton goalkeeper Tiernan Brooks, making his debut after joining from non-league Gateshead, denied Archie Gray low to his left and stopped a strike from Mateus Fernandes on his full Spurs debut in midfield, supported by crucial blocks from his back four in front of 6,000 away supporters.
Summer recruitment drive continues
Tottenham's summer transfer strategy has focused on signing players from clubs with established winning cultures, with Savio joining from Manchester City and forward Omar Marmoush expected to follow.
Spurs have also signed Andy Robertson from Liverpool and brought in £100 million midfielder Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United. Tonali was omitted from the squad against Charlton after undergoing an intense physical training session with Marcos Senesi on Tuesday to build fitness.
De Zerbi confirmed Tonali's availability for Saturday's league encounter against Newcastle, stating: "Saturday he will play in the first XI without problems."
With no European competition for Tottenham this season, De Zerbi welcomed a cup run as a crucial opportunity to give fringe players competitive game time and maintain match sharpness across the squad.
