Conor Coady’s 59th-minute winner saw Charlton clinch a shock 1-0 victory against promotion-chasing Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.
Coady volleyed in a right-footed winner from Harry Clarke’s long throw-in on his 499th career appearance to settle a tightly-fought contest.
Middlesbrough remained second but now one point clear of third-placed Millwall, whilst Charlton improved to 17th in the table.
Still sat second and again under pressure from Millwall, Middlesbrough began this match with urgency as Hayden Hackney forced a third-minute block from Greg Docherty, before Morgan Whittaker rifled wide across goal seconds later.
Charlton are on course for safety but opted to go for a defensive formation with view to counter attack, which nearly paid off in the tenth minute as Docherty slipped Miles Leaburn through but the latter flicked his shot into Sol Brynn’s arms.
David Strelec and Matt Targett fired wide as Boro continued to enjoy possession but Adilson Malanda kept the score level in the 24th minute, as he blocked Charlie Kelman’s shot before Leaburn headed wide from the subsequent corner.
Kelman then forced a 27th-minute save from Brynn as Charlton continued to deliver to stronger goalscoring threats when burst forward on counter-attacks, which saw the Addicks hold their hosts at half time.
If the home crowd hoped that their team would tidy their end product, they were left disappointed as they failed to offer improved quality early in the second half.
Charlton subsequently capitalised as Kelman saw a 57th-minute shot blocked in their first opportunity of the second half.
That chance though sparked the Addicks into life and just two minutes later, Clarke hurled a long throw-in into the box which Coady met with a right-footed volley into the left corner to put the South-London club in front.
Aidan Morris and Jeremy Sarmiento saw shots blocked as Boro attempted an immediate reply whilst Hackney put two shots wide, albeit either side of Leo Castledine’s wide header in the 69th minute before the latter saw a 83rd-minute shot saved.
Morris and Hackney saw further late chances denied and Castledine again headed wide in injury time, but Charlton eventually survived late spells of pressure from the hosts to record their first away victory in this fixture at the Riverside Stadium since a 1-0 win in August 2005.
What’s Next?
Middlesbrough host play-off chasing Bristol City on Saturday 14 March at 12:30pm in their next match.
Charlton meanwhile will simultaneously be in action on that same date as they head to Oxford United.
Teams
Middlesbrough: Sol Brynn, Callum Brittain, Luke Ayling, Adilson Malanda, Matt Targett (Hansen 89′), Aidan Morris, Hayden Hackney, Morgan Whittaker (Sarmiento 58′), Riley McGree (Sene 74′), David Strelec (Castledine 58′), Tommy Conway
Substitutes: Alan Browne, Leo Castledine, George Edmundson, Alex Gilbert, Sontje Hansen, Fin Munroe, Jeremy Sarmiento, Kaly Sene, Joe Wildsmith
Charlton: Will Mannion, Keenan Gough (Ramsay 58′), Conor Coady, Macaulay Gillesphey (Bell 65′), Harry Clark, Conor Coventry, Sonny Carey, Greg Docherty (Jones 89′), Luke Chambers, Charlie Kelman (Dykes 59′), Miles Leaburn (Campbell 59′)
Substitutes: Amari’i Bell, Tiernan Brooks, Tyreece Campbell, Lyndon Dykes, Jayden Fevrier, Ibrahim Fullah, Lloyd Jones, Kayne Ramsay, Joe Rankin-Costello
Referee – Adam Herczeg
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