Injury time goals from Elisha N’Dow and Melissa Johnson sent Charlton into the fourth round of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup with a 3-1 victory over MK Dons at The Oakwood.
Johnson had already opened the scoring 34 minutes in from the penalty spot after skipper Emily Simpkins had missed a spot kick moments before.
Mollie Coupar had equalised against the run of play with 23 minutes remaining, but late strikes from N’Dow and Johnson were enough to hand victory to the hosts.
Charlton was dominant throughout but were frustrated by a stubborn MK Dons defending and an excellent performance by keeper Chloe Sansom.
An early Emily Simpkins free kick was saved by Sansom, before Ella Rutherford and Mia Ross both shot over the crossbar.
Sansom denied Simpkins again and Freda Ayisi twice, the second time after a mazy run through the heart of the Dons’ defence.
MK’s first foray forward culminated in their first effort 12 minutes in when former Addick Nicole Pepper saw a long-range shot saved by Sian Rogers.
Johnson was unfortunate not to have opened her tally earlier, when she curled the ball onto the foot of the post.
Charlton were then awarded two penalties in quick succession. The first, which came when Hannah Warren handled a Corinne Henson cross, the spot kick was taken by Simpkins and saved by Sansom.
The second came when Angela Addison cut inside and was tripped by a trailing defensive leg. Johnson stepped up this time and rolled the spot kick into the corner of the net.
The visitors had the final chance of the half when Coupar spotted Rogers off her line and went for goal from long range, but the Addicks stopper made a flying save to deny her.
MK Dons came out for the second half brighter, as they chased the game. Their best early chance came through Rhianne Rush, whose shot from the left flank was saved on the line by Rogers.
From the resultant goal kick, Charlton launched a lightning counterattack that ended with another Sansom save from Ayisi.
More chances came and went for the hosts. Simpkins sent a shot spinning wide, while Sansom made an excellent stop to deny Beth Roe.
The Dons showed some glimpses of danger coming forward when Coupar was played through behind the Addicks defence but dragged her effort wide across goal.
Coupar made no mistake four minutes later, however, when a Charlton clearance ricocheted into her path and she fired past Rogers for the equaliser.
The final 23 minutes plus were predictably all Charlton as the home side went in search of the winning goal, but that didn’t come until deep into stoppage time a Roe shot was blocked wide for a corner.
Roe dusted herself down and delivered the set piece to the back post when N’Dow was on hand to lob into the back of the net.
The final say came from Johnson, who rounded the day off with a deserved second of the game.
Charlton: Rogers, N’Dow, Johnson, Simpkins, Ayisi, Addison, Skeels, Rutherford (Bruton 55), Roe, Henson, Ross.
Subs (not used): Gray, Follis, Bashford, O’ Rourke.
MK Dons: Sansom, Warren, Puddick, Biggadike , Rush, Pepper, Miles, Gould, Coupar, Mitchell, Newman.
Subs (Used): Nixon, Miceli, McLean. Subs (not used): Guy, Davies, Bennett, Samuels, Hughes.
Attendance: 303
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