Charlton Athletic 0 Liverpool 3

LIVERPOOL eventually made their dominance pay to dispatch a desperately poor Charlton side at The Valley on Saturday.

The visitors racked up 21 attempts on the way to a 3-0 victory that exposed the many flaws in Les Reed's struggling team.

Goals from Xabi Alonso, Craig Bellamy and Steven Gerrard won the match, but it could have been far worse for the Addicks, who looked a side devoid of any belief.

If confidence at The Valley was low before the game it was shattered completely in the third minute when former Liverpool defender Djimi Traore's wreckless high challenge on Jermaine Pennant gave referee Howard Webb no option but to award a penalty.

Alonso was given the responsibility and made no mistake from 12 yards.

Liverpool were in complete control and should have been out of sight by half-time with Bellamy, Pennant and Dirk Kuyt all missing excellent opportunities to extend the lead.

It was the same story in the second half with the visitors launching wave after wave of attacks on Thomas Myhre's goal, including a Kuyt effort that struck a post.

Charlton twice went close to snatching an unlikely equaliser when first Darren Ambrose and then Darren Bent missed the target.

However, any hopes of a comeback were dashed in the 82nd minute when sloppy marking allowed Bellamy to burst clear and volley powerfully past Myhre.

Gerrard completed the scoring two minutes from time when he was given far too much time and space in the box before curling a superb shot into the top corner.

Charlton: Myhre, Young (Diawara 68), El Karkouri, Hreidarsson, Traore, Rommedahl, Faye (Hughes 58), Holland, Reid (Ambrose h-t), Hasselbaink, D Bent.
Subs not used: Andersen, M Bent.
Attendance: 27,111.

* Keep up to date with all the news from The Valley every week in the Bexley Extra.