A cold evening at The Valley saw Charlton and Rochdale play out a thrilling 4-4 draw, with the Addicks coming from behind to take a point before being reduced to 10 men late in the game.
A Chuks Aneke brace was added to by goals from Jake Forster-Caskey and January signing Ronnie Schwartz to cancel out Rochdale’s four goals.
It was Rochdale who struck first. The visitors were ahead early on through Matty Lund. A move down the left-hand side saw Kwado Baah lay the ball off to Jimmy Keohane, whose pull-back was met by Lund on the edge of the box. His right footed-shot was placed into the bottom right-hand corner, beating Ben Amos on its way in.
Thing went from bad to worse for the Addicks as the visitors doubled their lead. Just 10 minutes after the opener, Stephen Humphrys collected the ball in the middle of the park before beginning a drive towards goal. The striker played a ball through to Baah on the left-hand side, whose powerful strike found the top left-hand corner.
Two minutes later, Charlton pulled one back through Chuks Aneke. The striker starts the move by flicking on a header at the half-way line before battling to steal the ball off a Rochdale defender and force his way in on goal, before slotting past Gavin Bazunu in the Dale net.
Kwado Baah was troubling Charlton once more. The young winger took on his man down the left before finding space in the box and placing his right-footed shot into the bottom right-hand corner.
The Addicks made it 3-2 on 37 minutes. Rochdale failed to clear their lines and the ball eventually fell to Forster-Caskey on the edge of the box. The midfielder shaped to shoot before curling a left-footed shot goalward, which was helped in via the head of a Rochdale defender.
However, the Addicks found themselves two goals behind once more before half-time. Humphrys stepped over a free kick from 25 yards out in a central area before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the left-hand corner for the visitors' fourth of the half.
On the stroke of half-time, Charlton should have had their third. Alex Gilbey’s cut back found Williams, who sliced wide from inside the box.
The second half saw a double change with Schwartz and Albie Morgan on in the place of Paul Smyth and Alex Gilbey.
The hosts took control of the second half and it was only a matter of time before they found a way back into the game.
Soon after the hour mark, Charlton reduced the visitors’ lead to one. Aneke started the move, laying the ball off to substitute Schwartz on the edge of the box. The Dane’s pass found Chris Gunter on the overlap, who found Aneke at the far post. The diving header was the big man’s second of the game.
The trio were at it again as the Addicks pulled level only moments later. Gunter won possession high up the park before releasing the ball to his Welsh colleague Williams. The midfielder played in goalscorer Aneke, who found his counterpart Schwartz. The new signing released a terrific first-timed shot, curling it into the top right-hand corner to open his account for Charlton in spectacular fashion.
Aneke came close to securing his hat-trick with five minutes to go. Charlton broke from a Rochdale corner with Miller cutting back to Charlton’s number 10. Aneke beat his man but was denied by a fantastic save from Bazunu, stretching down to his left.
Late on, Charlton were reduced to 10 men as captain Jason Pearce was given his marching orders after being cautioned in the first half. Aneke flicks the ball into Pearce’s run and the centre-half stretched for the ball in a 50/50 with the goalkeeper. Referee Trevor Kettle deemed this worthy of a second yellow card and reduced the Addicks to 10 men.
This left Charlton light at the back with minutes to play but Lee Bowyer’s side did enough to hold on to a point.
Charlton: Amos; Gunter, Pearce, Oshilaja, Maatsen; Forster Caskey, Gilbey (Morgan 46), Williams (Washington 80); Smyth (Schwartz 46), Millar (Matthews 90+2), Aneke.
Subs (not used): Maynard-Brewer, Purrington, Bogle.
Goals: Aneke 23, 65, Forster-Caskey 37, Schwartz 67
Booked: Gilbey 40 (foul), Morgan 84 (unsportsmanlike behaviour)
Sent-off: Pearce 88 (second-bookable offence)
Rochdale: Bazunu, Mclaughlin, McNulty, Roberts, Keohane; Beesley, Moorley, Rathbone, Baah (Dooley 65); Lund, Humphrys.
Subs (not used): Lynch, Briereley, Done, Dunne, McShane, Newby.
Goals: Lund 12, Baah 21, 31, Humphreys 42
Booked: Humphrys 41 (unsportsmanlike behaviour), Bazunu 69 (unsportsmanlike behaviour)