Charlton Athletic 0 Chelsea 1

CHARLTON produced a brave and courageous performance before going down 1-0 to Barclays Premier League champions Chelsea in a close-fought London derby at The Valley.

Frank Lampard's 25-yard drive sealed victory for the champions in the 18th minute after Charlton midfielder Amady Faye twice lost possession to Andriy Shevchenko.

Rejuveanted Charlton hit back strongly in the second half when Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech produced stupendous saves from Amady Faye in the in the 67th and 72nd minutes.

Addicks boss Alan Pardew said: "At the start of the game the champions really flexed their muscles and we struggled with that.

"We gifted them a goal, which was unfortunate, but after that our commitment and effort was fantastic - and the stadium played a big part in that."

He added: "I don't think Chelsea were below-par, we just didn't let them play and we worked hard to restrict their time on the ball.

"But I'm disappointed because I thought the effort of everybody, including the crowd, deserved to get something.”

Charlton: Carson, Sankofa, El Karkouri, Hreidarsson, Thatcher, Rommedahl (Hasselbaink h-t), Faye, Holland (Lisbie 78), Hughes, Thomas, M Bent
Subs Not Used: Randolph, Diawara, Ambrose.
Attendance: 27,111.

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