Charlton Athletic 2 - Leicester City 2

EIGHTY-SEVEN minutes had elapsed when Charlton manager Alan Curbishley called time on Paolo Di Canio.

Charlton's mercurial talisman had just scored his 100th League goal in English and Italian football and with so little time left had every reason to believe that this milestone in his career would be good enough to end his club's unhappy sequence of one win from their last seven games.

However, no sooner had he departed than relegated Leicester drew level direct from a Les Ferdinand free-kick.

Leicester, who have lost 20 points this season when they have been ahead, had scrambled a draw as Charlton stumbled again. Di Canio, at least, deserved better.

Apart from a sharp exchange with referee Rob Styles, for which he was rightly cautioned, Di Canio was excellent, playing short passes to his team-mates, exchanging pleasantries with the opposition and generally spreading a little sunshine on a grey day.

And did we need sunshine. The myth that the Premiership is the finest competition in the world has been shattered many times but never, surely, as emphatically as Saturday's first-half. The first period must surely represent the most embarrassing passage of football assembled for a long while.

There was nothing wrong with Charlton's start but in the sixth minute, and against the run of play, Leicester's Marcus Bent played a one-two with skipper Muzzy Izzet before curling a 25-yard drive wide of goalkeeper Dean Kiely to give his side the lead.

Shell-shocked Charlton were subjected to hoots of derision as they laboured to pull themselves together. Only Di Canio with his superior skill and guile offered hope to an otherwise predictable side.

The Addicks' start to the second-half promised something better as in the 51st minute Johansson squared the ball to Euell who failed to make the connection in front of goal.

Two minutes later, Di Canio lent a hand. His corner was met at the far post by the unmarked Jonathan Fortune who headed the equaliser.

Suddenly, the uncertainty that had afflicted the side in the first 45 minutes evaporated as Charlton looked capable of going on to register a first home win since March 13 when they beat Middlesbrough 1-0.

Matt Holland and Graham Stuart took a grip of the midfield and home fans awaited the inevitable lead.

It arrived in the 76th minute, albeit in controversial circumstances, after Kiely hoisted a long kick downfield to the galloping Johansson, who tangled with the uncomfortable Nikos Dabizas.

Referee Styles pointed to the spot and brandished a 10th red card in 19 Premiership games the way of the Leicester centre-back. It looked harsh.

Leicester ranted and raged until order was restored. Up stepped Di Canio to despatch the penalty.

Charlton have lost six times at The Valley this season and the fans were in the mood to celebrate.

Ferdinand, however, had other ideas. No sooner had Di Canio departed, to be replaced by defender Chris Perry, than the Leicester substitute drilled home a ferocious free-kick from the edge of the penalty area.

In the three minutes added on for stoppages, Stuart spurned a match-winning opportunity when he chose to pass rather than shoot.