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  • Kick-off: 15:00
  • Venue: The Valley
  • Attendance: 26708
  • Referee: Wiley, A

Live Commentary

94mins

Although Charlton dominated possession Bolton looked dangerous on the counter and could have won by more.

91mins

The referee indicates that there will be four minutes of added time.

90mins

Jonatan Johansson latches onto a long ball upfield but his volley is saved by Jussi Jaaskelainen.

88mins

Bolton make their final change as they replace Jay Jay Okocha with Ramos Ivan Campo.

85mins

Charlton are still on top but can't find the final ball although Bolton look dangerous on the counter.

81mins

The home side are really pushing Bolton back at the moment as they try and get something out of this game.

78mins

Charlton make a double change as they replace Konchesky and Hughes with Jason Euell and Radostin Kishishev.

76mins

Charlton can't find the key to unlocking the Bolton defence as another Murphy shot goes over the bar.

74mins

Bolton make another change and replace Vincent Candela with Ricardo Gardner.

73mins

Danny Murphy crosses into the middle but Hermann Hreidarsson's volley is saved by Jussi Jaaskelainen.

71mins

The home side hit back and force a corner but Dennis Rommedahl's volley goes high into the crowd.

70mins

El Hadji Diouf does well down the right and he pulls back to Kevin Nolan but Dean Kiely makes a fantastic save.

69mins

Charlton are on top at the moment as they try to force their way back into this game but Bolton are holding firm.

66mins

Charlton make their first substitution and bring on Jonatan Johansson for Jerome Thomas.

65mins

Bolton keep the ball well and Hierro tries with another volley from 30 yards out but fails to hit the target.

62mins

The visitors counter but Fernando Hierro's volley is straight at Dean Kiely who saves easily.

59mins

Tal Ben-Haim brings down Jerome Thomas and earns a yellow card.

58mins

Giannakopoulos crosses to Speed at the far post who nods back across for El Hadji Diouf to send a looping header over Kiely.

56mins

Bolton come forward again through Kevin Nolan but his drilled shot goes narrowly wide.

55mins

Bolton make their first change and replace Kevin Davies with El Hadji Diouf.

54mins

Bolton force a free kick about 30 yards out but Fernando Hierro's curler goes over the bar.

51mins

The second half has started scrappily as both teams are guilty of giving the ball away.

48mins

Paul Konchesky surges down the right flank and lets fly with a 25 yard effort that goes narrowly wide.

46mins

There are no changes at the break and the referee gets the game restarted.

45mins

Charlton have been on top in terms of possession and thoroughly deserve to be back on level terms at the break.

43mins

Charlton press forward again and Jussi Jaaskelainen has to be alert to claim Murphy's cross with Jeffers lurking.

40mins

Jay-Jay Okocha beats two Charlton defenders as he cuts in from the left but his shot goes over the bar.

36mins

Bolton hit back through Vincent Candela who crosses to Kevin Davies but his shot is charged down by Fortune.

33mins

Charlton thoroughly deserve to be level in this game as they have dominated possession and are looking for a second.

29mins

Charlton force a free kick which Murphy lays off to Jeffers and his shot deflects off Hierro to leave the keeper stranded.

27mins

Charlton regain the momentum and press forward through Murphy but his shot is saved by Jaaskelainen.

24mins

Okocha does well down the right and crosses but Giannakopoulos doesn't connect with his overhead kick.

23mins

The visitors have had the lions share of possession in the last few minutes and have pinned Charlton back in their own half.

20mins

Bolton up their tempo and win a couple of free kicks in dangerous positions but go for intricate passing moves that come to nothing.

17mins

Charlton press forward again and Francis Jeffers drills a shot from the edge of the box that Ben Haim scrambles away.

15mins

The home side are still on top but they can not find the final pass to unlock the Bolton defence.

12mins

Charlton are dominating possession at the moment but so far Bolton are looking fairly comfortable.

9mins

Charlton look to hit back straight away but Danny Murphy's volley from 25 yards out goes over the bar.

6mins

Jay Jay Okocha makes no mistake and slots the ball into the bottom right hand corner.

5mins

Kevin Davies flicks on in the box and the ball strikes Hermann Hreidarsson on the arm and the referee awards a penalty.

3mins

The game has yet to settle but Dennis Rommedahl is looking lively in the early stages.

0mins

Alan Wiley gets the game underway.

Match Report

In a game marked by niggle and spite, lost tempers and late tackles, Bolton took a huge leap towards a European spot, while Charlton saw their chances of foreign footballing travel next year dealt a fatal blow.

A Jay-Jay Okocha penalty and a second-half header from El-Hadji Diouf were sufficient to overcome Francis Jeffers' first-half effort for the home side, and few could argue that Bolton weren't worth their victory.

For Sam Allardyce it was a day to change his perspective on what might be achieved come the end of the season.

"Maybe it's time we started looking up and not down for a chance, worrying about who we've got to pass rather than who might pass us," said the Trotters boss.

"We've got Everton at the Reebok as our last home game of the season, and that could prove to have a huge amount riding on it. We've got a way to go yet, but of course a Champions League spot is still possible."

It was hard to deny Allardyce his viewpoint. Bolton had got off to the perfect start, as Hermann Hreidarsson handled Chris Perry's miscued defensive header deep in the Charlton area.

Okocha stepped up, false-started his run several times, and then sent Dean Kiely the wrong way, before slotting the ball inside the keeper's left hand post as he dived right.

Having weathered some extreme Bolton pressure, Charlton got back into the contest just before the half-hour mark - in controversial circumstances.

As Jussi Jaaskelainen jumped for the ball on the edge of his penalty area, Jeffers appeared to nudge the Bolton keeper in the back, sending him sprawling out of the box. Referee Alan Wiley failed to spot the push, and awarded Charlton a free-kick on the edge of the area.

Danny Murphy was alert enough to square the ball quickly to Jeffers, who fired home, via a series of deflections, into the back of the Bolton net.

It was an equaliser Charlton possibly didn't deserve, but with it, the path of the game appeared to have changed, as the home side, for the first time, enjoyed the better of the contest.

Just ten minutes of the second half had passed however, before Allardyce opted to introduce Diouf in a bid to fire his side into life. It was a gamble which paid off just three minutes later, as Gary Speed nodded back a deep cross and Diouf, charging in unmarked, somehow cushioned a header above Kiely and under the Charlton crossbar.

"It was a free header, and that's what upset me," said Alan Curbishley afterwards. "I just can't see us getting that sort of goal at the moment, because we're not creating those sort of chances at the moment.

"I feel we have to score twice to get anything out of the game, because we're defending so badly and letting in so many silly goals. Before the West Brom game, we'd let in nine goals in 14 matches, and now we've let in 12 in four. That's undoing us."

Man of the Match: Jay-Jay Okocha

Okocha scored the opener from the penalty spot and controlled play in midfield, with his passing and vision proving a class above anything else on view.

Charlton Athletic

Bolton Wanderers

Corners

82

Fouls

1014

Goal attempts

1812

Shots off target

86

Offsides

42

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