Charlton maintain perfect start

On Saturday 22 August 2026, Charlton Athletic secured a 2-1 victory over West Ham United in their first home Championship match. The win kept Charlton’s unbeaten run intact as they added a second consecutive win to their season.

Early dominance and first-half goals

Lloyd Jones opened the scoring in the seventh minute after a long throw from Sonny Carey was controlled on the chest and finished with an overhead header past West Ham keeper Arthur Okonkwo. Tyreece Campbell doubled the lead in the 56th minute, finishing clinically after a loose ball from Konstantinos Mavropanos was lost under pressure.

West Ham’s late comeback

Joel Piroe, making his debut on loan from Leeds, converted a penalty in the 74th minute to bring West Ham level. Piroe had previously missed a close-range header earlier in the match but his late strike was the only goal the Hammers scored.

Key moments and missed chances

West Ham’s Taty Castellanos missed a stoppage-time penalty that could have secured a point; the shot hit the base of the right post. The penalty was awarded after referee Andrew Kitchen penalised Conor Coventry for handball.

West Ham also handed debuts to Piroe and Arne Engels, and brought in Divine Mukasa on loan from Manchester City. Despite a strong start, West Ham were unable to force Okonkwo into a decisive save, who made a one-handed stop at the hour mark.

Managerial reactions

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo said: “We trust Taty to take the penalties. We started badly again. We had a lot of possession and tried to break them, but we should have finished better.” He added that the club is under pressure and will focus on improving finishing.

Charlton manager Nathan Jones praised his side: “We can’t get carried away because this is the norm now. We were excellent in the first half, countered well, and I’m proud of how they worked.” He highlighted the need for Lloyd Jones to score more and praised Okonkwo’s performance.

Final thoughts

The match saw Charlton’s Arthur Okonkwo, on a season-long loan from Wrexham, start the game strongly and keep West Ham’s attempts at bay. With the win, Charlton added another point to their campaign and left West Ham with a single point from their first home game of the season.