Blackburn 0 Charlton 1

NO Premiership side earned more points in the month of December than Charlton.

Four wins in five games, including four clean sheets, saw the side wear an air of invincibility as they extracted every last percentage from a well-oiled new formation.

But two defeats in three days in January has punctured optimism just as the side were consigning so much of their wretched early season form to history.

Relegation-threatened Blackburn, a side without a home win since September, were comfortable winners against a heavy-legged Charlton whose confidence has drained.

The Addicks enjoyed plenty of possession but seldom looked capable of scoring in another performance that showed the club lack a striker who can decide such games.

The word fatigue was bandied around in post-match summaries - and four games in eight days appears excessive in a ludicrous Christmas schedule – but it was the same for both teams.

The only goal of a disappointing match arrived in the 41st minute and was midfielder Brett Emerton's fourth of the season.

David Thompson's peach of a cross to the far post picked out the unmarked Australian whose downward header gave goalkeeper Dean Kiely no chance.

Blackburn deserved the goal having been denied in the 17th minute by Danny Murphy's goalline clearance from Jonathan Stead's header.

Yet Charlton, for all their lack of potency up front, should have been on level terms deep into first half stoppage time when the recalled Jonatan Johansson spurned a golden opportunity from less than five yards after Jerome Thomas had played him through.

The second half deteriorated into a niggly affair that produced three Charlton bookings.

Dennis Rommedahl, Hermann Hreidarsson and Luke Young were all cautioned, and Alan Curbishley wisely withdrew Hreidarsson to save him from a red card after he became involved in a running feud with Paul Dickov.

Though Charlton lay siege to the Blackburn goal in the closing stages, the home side looked more than capable of holding their own.

All of a sudden, Saturday's FA Cup clash with Rochdale is taking the shape of one almighty banana skin.

Charlton: Kiely, Young, Fortune, El Karkouri, Hreidarsson (Hughes 71), Kishishev (Euell 60), Holland, Murphy, Rommedahl, Thomas (Konchesky 60), Johansson. Subs Not Used: Andersen, Stuart.

Attendance: 19,819.