Substitute Tyreece Campbell struck an 81st-minute winner as Charlton Athletic edged Stoke City 1-0 at The Valley, a result that opened up a seven-point gap between the Addicks and the Championship bottom three. The Jamaica international latched onto Lyndon Dykes' flick-on and coolly rounded Tommy Simkin to score in front of the Covered End, sealing a priceless three points in Charlton's battle to stay up.
In a contest where Stoke controlled long spells of possession but struggled to create clear chances, Charlton were more incisive in the final third and carved out the better openings from set-pieces before Campbell settled it late on. Ipswich loanee Harry Clarke had already crashed a header against the underside of the bar, while Sonny Carey's corners repeatedly troubled the visitors, yet it took the late substitute's third goal of the season to finally break City's resistance and extend the visitors' miserable run of just one win in their last 42 league games in the capital, 27 of which have ended in defeat.
Set-Piece Intensity From Charlton Sets Early Tone
Charlton started on the front foot and almost took the lead inside six minutes when Carey's corner from the right found Clarke, the Ipswich Town loanee powering a header against the underside of the crossbar with Simkin beaten. The ball bounced down agonisingly close to the line before being scrambled away, an early warning for a Stoke side who initially struggled to cope with the home team's delivery from dead balls.