Tottenham Hotspur may have hammered Charlton Athletic 5-1 in the Carabao Cup, but Paul Merson isn’t buying into the result, with the Sky Sports pundit suggesting the scoreline gave a false impression of where Roberto De Zerbi’s side really stand.
Spurs needed to bounce back after a disappointing Premier League loss, and they did so in style. Five different moments of quality helped them to a comfortable win, with Mikey Moore, Dominic Solanke, Kevin Danso and debutant Sávio all getting on the scoresheet.
While Tottenham fans were celebrating, Merson saw things very differently. His assessment was blunt: Tottenham simply got fortunate, and the result shouldn’t be taken as proof that the team’s underlying issues have been fixed.
His reasoning centres on the context of the match. Charlton made wholesale changes for the cup tie, handing Spurs far more room and time on the ball than they’d ever get against a genuine Premier League opponent. A 5-1 win doesn’t mean Tottenham are suddenly “back,” he argued — Charlton are a different proposition entirely compared to a top-flight side. Everything went Tottenham’s way, in his view: an early goal opened the game up, Charlton lost their shape, and Spurs simply rode the wave of confidence that followed.
This came despite plenty for Tottenham to be pleased about — Moore’s threat going forward, Solanke’s finish, and a defence that looked far more assured than in the league game. But Merson insists all of that has to be weighed against the calibre of opponent, and he wants to see the same freedom on show against a team that presses Spurs properly. Liverpool, he suggested, will be the real litmus test — not a weakened Charlton side.
Sávio’s cameo off the bench, capped with a goal, added plenty of excitement, but even that wasn’t enough to sway Merson. He wants to see the Brazilian perform under real pressure, against defenders who won’t give him the same space. He was equally skeptical about the significance of Tottenham’s response — bouncing back against a rotated lower-league team, he argued, is a very different challenge to doing it against elite opposition, and it’s the Premier League matches that will truly reveal where this Spurs side stands.
That’s what makes Tottenham’s upcoming fixtures so significant. With Liverpool lined up as their next Carabao Cup opponents, De Zerbi’s side will get an early chance to answer Merson’s doubts directly. A strong showing there would undercut his “lucky” narrative; another shaky performance against tougher opposition would only reinforce it.
For now, Spurs fans have plenty to enjoy — a much-needed win and a hugely encouraging first outing from Sávio. But for Merson, the true test is still to come, and Charlton was never going to provide the answer.
