Stoke City ended Charlton Athletic's unbeaten start to the Championship season with a 4-0 win at the bet365 Stadium on 5 September 2026, scoring all four goals before half-time. Justin Devenny, signed from Crystal Palace on transfer deadline night, scored twice on his debut, while Ethan Galbraith and George Hirst, also summer signings, supplied the others.
Stoke had lost their first three league games of the season, the last of them 4-1 at Wolves a week earlier, before beating Norwich City 1-0 in midweek. Charlton, managed by Stoke's former boss Nathan Jones, arrived without a league defeat and left with a heavy one, finishing the match with ten men after Dan McNamara's second yellow card.
Devenny's Penalty Opens the Floodgates
Charlton were the brighter side early on, but the game turned on a penalty. Referee Madley awarded it after Timothy Ouma was adjudged to have grappled Ben Wilmot at a corner, and Devenny, who had been named the designated penalty taker before kick-off, scored it in the 14th minute. Jones was damning about the opening goal afterwards: "We had a great start and wanted to silence the crowd, but we gave away an absolute gift. That can't happen."