10-man Charlton fell to a first defeat in five games as Hull City moved second in League One with a 2-0 win at the KCOM Stadium.
Darren Pratley was sent off as the Addicks pressed for a second half equaliser after going 1-0 down to an Hakeeb Adelakun goal in the 18th minute. Greg Docherty made the man advantage count scoring a 75th minute goal to secure three points.
Coming to the game unbeaten in four Lee Bowyer made two changes to the side that drew with Plymouth Argyle last weekend. The suspended Chuks Aneke was replaced by Omar Bogle while Albie Morgan started in place of Jonny Williams as Charlton started in a traditional 4-4-2 formation.
As the sides felt each other out in the opening minutes, they both had half chances - the Tigers’ Jacob Greaves headed a corner harmlessly over the Charlton crossbar while Jake Forster-Caskey’s dangerous curled free kick caused the Hull defence a scare but an Addick wasn’t quite able to get on the end of it.
Hull took the lead in the 18th minute in slightly fortuitous fashion. The home side capitalised from a turnover in possession with Mallik Wilks finding the ball in space on the left. His driven cross took a deflection and bounced off Ben Amos into the path of Adelakun who passed into the net.
The Addicks tried to bounce back immediately and Jason Pearce hit a header just too close to George Long.
Tom Eaves maybe could have doubled the home side’s lead with a diving header from a cleverly-worked free kick in the 25th minute but the header was tame and Amos gathered comfortably.
A dangerous Forster-Caskey corner in the 33rd minute fell to Bogle, who couldn’t quite connect with a left-footed attempt, from a good position.
A Wilks cross deflected just past the post and George Honeymoon shot wide from just inside the area as Hull looked for a second before the break.
At the other end, Forster-Caskey forced a save from Long with a long range free kick but the visitors went in 1-0 down at the break.
Paul Smyth replaced Bogle at half-time as the Addicks moved to a 3-5-2 formation. The change in shape nearly had an immediate impact with Ian Maatsen finding Conor Washington in the penalty area but the striker wasn’t quite bring the ball under his spell.
The Addicks were reduced to 10 men in the 63rd minute when Pratley was adjudged to have kicked out at Wilks.
Despite some good passing by the 10 men the opposition made their advantage count and Greg Docherty pounced to put them two up after a header from Wilks hit the post.
The home side saw the game out ending the Addicks unbeaten run.
Hull City: Long, Smallwood (C) (Batty 84), Wilks, Eaves (Lewis-Potter 70), Honeymoon (Slater 78), Emmanuel, Jones, Adelakun (Mayer 78), Fleming, Greaves, Docherty
Subs (not used): Ingram, Coyle, McLouglin
Goals: Adelakun 18, Docherty 75
Charlton: Amos; Gunter, Pratley, Pearce (C), Matthews; Watson (Gilbey 10), Forster-Caskey, Maatsen, Morgan (Williams 61); Bogle (Smyth 46), Washington
Subs (not used): Maynard-Brewer, Purrington, Oshilaja, Maddison
Sent-off: Pratley 63
Booked: Gilbey 78
Referee: C Coy
Attendance: 0 (Behind-closed-doors)