Sheffield Wednesday dropped to the bottom of the Championship table after a 2-1 loss at Charlton, with Owls goalkeeper Ethan Horvath sent off in second-half added time.
It capped off a miserable week for crisis-hit Wednesday, who are set to be served with a winding up petition by HMRC.
Sonny Carey and Reece Burke scored for the Addicks in a dominant first period but Jamal Lowe cut the deficit to set up a nervy finale.
Charlton came out quickly and Max Lowe made a vital block on an early Burke strike.
Wednesday’s best chance of the opening 45 minutes came in the 11th minute but Jamal Lowe could only head the ball straight at Addicks goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski from very close range.
Charlie Kelman is challenged by Liam Palmer
Charlton opened the scoring in the 17th minute with Carey collecting his third goal of the campaign. The summer signing from Blackpool was initially denied by Horvath but followed up to lift a cool finish into the top right of the net.
The visitors’ defence regularly looked uncomfortable as the Addicks pressed aggressively and it needed a last-second block by Gabriel Otegbayo to frustrate Charlie Kelman inside the penalty area.
Carey was proving to be an uncontainable influence and his wicked cross was begging for a finishing touch that never came in the 32nd minute.
Charlton extended their lead in first-half stoppage time. James Bree’s free-kick was headed in at the near post by centre-back Burke, his first goal since joining from Luton in July.
Even the normally talismanic Barry Bannan was out of sorts for the visitors, summed up by the Scot overhitting a couple of routine crossfield passes out of play.
Svante Ingelsson headed over for Wednesday early in the second half from Max Lowe’s deep cross.
But then Horvath needed to show strong hands to push away another Carey attempt from the edge of the penalty area.
Charlton’s intensity dipped after that as Wednesday began to build some sustained pressure.
Bannan was presented with a shooting chance from a direct free-kick but sent it harmlessly straight at Kaminski.
Jamal Lowe made amends for smashing wildly over from the left-hand side of the box when he reacted quickest to convert after substitute Sean Fusire’s shot came back off the right post in the 69th minute.
Ike Ugbo was unable to direct a diving header goalbound for Wednesday, who continued to ask questions of the hosts until the dismissal of Horvath.
He was shown a straight red card by referee Tom Reeves for wiping out Isaac Olaofe as the pair competed for a ball just outside the Owls’ penalty area late on.
The managers
Charlton’s Nathan Jones:
“They put us under a lot of pressure in the second half and if I was being really critical then I’d have liked us to have had more control.
“We didn’t play well in the second half but we didn’t stop grafting. We’re difficult to beat. I’m delighted we won. You come out of the international break and you never know what you are going to get.
“The first half we were good. We scored two goals and with a little bit more killer instinct we could’ve had more.
“I think the linesman gave it (the foul by Horvath). I’ve got the greatest respect for what is a difficult job but that is one of the easiest decisions you will ever get to see in the world. Not just in football – in the world.
“He (Olaofe) touched it around him and he wiped him clean out.”
Sheffield Wednesday’s Henrik Pedersen:
“We have a little bit bigger perspective – we know it’s a difficult situation. How the boys are working and played in the second half has given us all confidence and courage that we can get points in the future and compete with many teams in the Championship.
“But we need to be braver from the first to the last minute – not just after 45 minutes when we are 2-0 down. Then we can do more. The first goal was a little present that we gave them. Then we concede shortly before the second half.
“We showed togetherness and a strong culture to keep on working. We had 60 per cent possession and higher expected goals. All the data is in the right direction.
“I said to the boys: ‘Head up, chest up – rest now and we have to be ready again for Wednesday evening’.”
