Rommedahl’s late strike earns Charlton points

Crystal Palace 0 Charlton 1

Charlton goalkeeper Dean Kiely denied Johnson his 10th goal of the season in the 57th minute with a brilliant penalty save, and that intervention seemed to have ensured the game would end goalless.

However, with time ticking away at the end of this dull match, Danny Murphy spotted Rommedahl, who had replaced the injured Jonatan Johansson early in the first half, alone on the right.

The Denmark star's finish was devastating as he eluded Danny Granville before unleashing a low drive which Gabor Kiraly was powerless to keep out.

It was harsh on Palace, for whom Aki Riihilahti hit the bar and Johnson went close on other occasions, and a draw would have been a fair result.

However, Charlton will point to chances of their own wasted by Matt Holland and Jerome Thomas, and Alan Curbishley's men may feel that their more measured approach merited the three points.

The Charlton boss was pleased for match-winner Rommedahl, who joined the club in the summer from PSV Eindhoven. "We've got a couple of players Franny Jeffers, Danny Murphy who came in late in pre-season.

"We have not been consistent and team selection has not been consistent and they have been hurt by that. Dennis is one of them but he showed in the last few minutes what he can do. We have been right to get some of the criticism we have been getting, but our points total is not bad and it is something we can build on."

Opposite number Iain Dowie felt Charlton had not deserved the victory. "It is very difficult to take. We matched up and felt we edged it and deserved to win. I think in the second half we dominated the game and were looking the most likely but we went to sleep a little."

Dowie thought Johnson was unlucky not to have been given the chance to retake his penalty because he felt Kiely moved off his line.

He said: "He was patently off his line but the key decisions they don't give you maybe if you're at Old Trafford you would maybe have got that. That's not to take anything away from Dean Kiely, it was a great save."

CRYSTAL PALACE: Kiraly, Boyce, Hall, Popovic, Granville, Routledge, Riihilahti (Freedman 86), Watson, Kolkka (Lakis 76), Hughes, Johnson.

CHARLTON: Kiely, Young, El Karkouri, Fortune, Hreidarsson, Kishishev, Holland, Murphy, Thomas, Bartlett (Jeffers 76), Johansson (Rommedahl 19).

Referee: M Messias (S Yorkshire).