Chelsea 1 Charlton 0

HAD Charlton raided a bank at Chelsea their getaway on Saturday could not have been quicker.

Within 10 minutes of the final whistle players, still dripping from their showers and carrying towels, were hustled out of the dressing room and onto the coach which sped off at high speed down the Fulham Road.

Manager Alan Curbishley dodged the after-match press conference, which in itself was probably the most eloquent comment he could have made about the outcome.

The official reason for the high-speed exit was that Charlton had been given a choice. In short, get out quick or face being held back for three hours while Chelsea celebrate their first title for 50 years.

It was no contest. Curbishley and co needed no second thoughts for they were seething with injustice.

Faced with a Chelsea team of intimidating talent, they had attacked their task against the new Barclays Premier League champions with conviction and resilience.

They were within touching distance of raining on Chelsea’s grand parade when Jonathan Fortune lunged at Frank Lampard.

The Charlton central defender’s tackle was mis-timed but outside the penalty area. Lampard, the newly crowned Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year, stumbled and fell into the penalty area.

To Charlton’s amazement and anger, referee Mike Riley pointed to the penalty spot.

Up stepped Claude Makelele eager to score his first Premiership goal. He seemed destined for disappointment as goalkeeper Stephan Andersen guessed correctly and saved his first attempt.

The ball rebounded back to the France international and he bobbled the ball back over the line off his shin. Cue the hysteria. There was just sufficient time to re-start the match before the referee sounded the final whistle.

With that Curbishley strode on to the pitch like a man with a mission as he headed straight for Mr Riley before thinking better of it and storming back to the dressing room.

Early on Saturday evening, assistant manager Keith Peacock was able to sum up, given the benefit of several viewings of the match video.

Not a man given to unseemly rants, he insisted: "The offence was clearly committed outside of the area – no question. Frank Lampard had overrun the ball. Jonathan was not in the area when he made the tackle and the referee got it wrong."

Later that night, television’s Match of the Day cameras endorsed the match video.

Peacock added: "Chelsea are an excellent side but we deserved something from the game because, after the deserved criticism we took following last week’s beating by Manchester United, we produced a performance that was full of heart.

"We went into the game needing to get our pride back and I believe we did that thanks to a lot of hard work."

So it was that with a shimmering sense of style which has captivated an entire season, Jose Mourinho’s champions swaggered off with their title on a rainy, springtime afternoon.

All the fine words of sympathy will mean nothing to Charlton whose battling qualities deserved much more than the cruel twist of fate that stretched a depressing sequence of results to one win in their last 13 games.

In Chelsea’s last title-winning season in 1954-55, Charlton beat them 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. Though they had failed to score in their last three games, the team’s rejuvenated determination to extract something at the champions’ expense suggested it was not beyond the realms of possibility.

On a pitch littered with blue balloons, amid the Chelsea carnival, Charlton were supposed to play the role of passive observers.

Chelsea’s early objective was to wear Charlton down by playing keep-ball. For a time they took liberties until Bryan Hughes rolled a glorious chance wide from Danny Murphy’s cross in the 10th minute.

Lampard headed over from close range and then Fortune missed a chance for Charlton after joining the attack.

Andersen produced a magnificent 35th-minute save to turn Joe Cole’s shot onto the underside of the bar.

With Talal El Karkouri producing a series of biting tackles and skipper Matt Holland and Murphy refusing to become over-awed in midfield, Charlton refused to accept the inevitable going into the second-half.

John Terry was out of luck with a header that struck the angle of post and crossbar in the 53rd and in the 62nd, Luke Young cleared away from an open goal after Andersen had been beaten by Lampard.

Charlton looked set to shock Chelsea in the 65th minute when Kevin Lisbie played in Holland whose shot was finger-tipped away from goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini.

Though Chelsea created the better openings, Charlton stood firm until the final minute when they could only stand and stare as Makelele scored at the second attempt.

They knew beyond question they were worth a point. But then you get nothing for feeling sorry for yourself.

Palace await.

Charlton: Andersen, Young, El Karkouri, Fortune, Konchesky, Kishishev, Holland, Murphy, Hughes, Johansson, Lisbie. Subs Not Used: Kiely, Fish, Euell, Rommedahl, Fuller.

Attendance: 42,065.