Hull's bid to reach the Sky Bet Championship play‑offs suffered a severe blow when Jayden Fevrier struck in the second half, giving Charlton a 2‑1 win at The Valley. The Addicks, who had taken the lead thanks to Charlie Kelman's seventh goal of the season, snapped a seven‑match winless streak and mathematically ensured their safety in the division. John Egan managed to level the scores with a header just before the break, but Hull have now endured six games without a win, collecting only four points from a possible eighteen and slipping back behind Wrexham, outside the top six.
Early in the match Hull were forced to make a substitution when Eliot Matazo, back for the first time since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in February 2025, was withdrawn in the 11th minute. Charlton opened the scoring in the 20th minute. Kelman received a through ball from Conor Coady, cut inside the on‑coming Semi Ajayi and curled a precise shot into the top‑right corner from the edge of the penalty area. The early goal gave the Addicks a valuable cushion and set the tone for the rest of the first half.
Hull began to test Thomas Kaminski's resolve in the closing stages of the half, but it was not until the fifth minute of added time that they truly threatened his goal. Joe Gelhardt, the club's leading scorer, saw his effort glance off the post after a cross from Liam Millar. A defensive lapse by Harry Clarke allowed Hull to equalise just before the interval. The Ipswich loanee's mistimed header fell out for a corner, and substitute Paddy McNair delivered a deep ball that John Egan nodded home from a tight angle.
Goal‑line technology confirmed that the ball had crossed the line before being cleared, prompting referee Tom Nield to award the goal. In the second half, Fevrier produced a high‑quality cross that slipped past defender Harvey Knibbs, while Gelhardt's follow‑up was wide after Millar's earlier attempt was blocked. The French forward then restored Charlton's lead in the 68th minute – the first occasion the team had scored twice in a Championship match since 31 January. Fevrier, on loan from Stockport, beat several defenders with a deft dribble before slotting a low left‑footed finish from 20 yards past Ivor Pandur.
Hull pressed for a response, with Kaminski making a crucial save from Mohamed Belloumi, but the Tigers could not find a way through. Charlton's keeper, after a poor punch that fell to Paddy McNair, was relieved when the Irish midfielder failed to connect cleanly on his volley.
Lyndon Dykes later forced Pandur into a fingertip save as Hull's defensive shape began to show gaps. Fevrier came close to adding a third goal in stoppage time, but his effort was cleared off the line, preserving the 2‑1 scoreline. After the match, Charlton manager Nathan Jones reflected on the result: "It's as good an achievement as I've ever had, but there is also a touch of disappointment. I think we should be higher than we are.
We never do it easy. We have missed chances from five or six yards in all our home games and then we score two absolute bangers. The amount of pressure is immense.
They were under pressure, because they want to get promoted. But the pressure of going down is totally different. We get individual clips of every team. If you looked at that in isolation then you'd never sleep because everyone has massive threats.
We are evolving and haven't quite got there yet. It's real relief - it's not euphoria. If you asked me at the beginning of the season if I would have taken this, I probably wouldn't.
But as the season has gone on, staying up is the first stage for us to move forward and do what we want to do, the first part is for us to be a Championship side. I'm proud of the group, the club and all my staff. What a day.
This group finds a way to do enough when it is needed." Hull's Sergej Jakirovic voiced his frustration: "For me it is unbelievable we cannot win one game in this part of the season. Every team in this league had those moments in their season, unfortunately we have that moment now.
We have a very small chance (of reaching the play‑offs) because if Wrexham take one point it is over. It is over but it still isn't mathematically over. You have hope but first we have to win our game. It is now a very big problem for us.
Now it is not in our hands. We played much better in the second half than the first. In the first half we needed to be brave on the ball and take some risks.
The goal is perfect but we can stop this, defend it better. We equalised from a corner, which was very good because we didn't show anything in the first half. Their second goal is unacceptable - the guy dribbles through three players.
We tried everything but this is football - we missed our chances. Congratulations to Charlton." The match also highlighted Hull's long‑standing difficulty in winning away fixtures, as they have now failed to secure a victory in their final away league game for 19 consecutive seasons.
Charlton, meanwhile, broke a long‑standing scoring drought by finding the net twice in a single Championship encounter for the first time in over three months, a sign that their attacking unit may be finding renewed confidence as the season draws to a close. Beyond the on‑field drama, the game was accompanied by promotional messages encouraging fans to use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player, download the Sky Sports app, and watch EFL on Sky with NOW. A £250,000 prize pool was also advertised for the Super 6 competition, with entries closing at 3 pm on Saturday, offering supporters a chance to engage further with the league's excitement.