Charlton kept their flawless opening to the Championship campaign alive with a dramatic 2-1 triumph over West Ham in a fiercely contested London derby, adding fresh pressure on Hammers manager Nuno Espirito Santo. Lloyd Jones and Tyreece Campbell gave the Addicks a comfortable 2-0 lead before Joel Piroe – a loanee from Leeds – marked his debut for the east London side with a goal that set the stage for a frantic final period. In stoppage time, Taty Castellanos stepped up to take a penalty that would have rescued a point for the hosts, only to see his spot‑kick rebound off the post, sealing Charlton's victory.
The match saw West Ham introduce two new faces, Piroe and Arne Engels, yet the pre‑season favorites could not force the newly‑signed loan goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo, who had just arrived from Wrexham, into a decisive save during the opening half. Charlton struck first in the seventh minute when Sonny Carey's long throw was expertly gathered on the chest by Lloyd Jones, who then turned the ball into an elegant overhead volley that slipped past Mads Hermansen. A subsequent attempt from Manor Solomon, whose shot from the edge of the box was aimed at goal, was cleared by Charlton centre‑back Billy Koumetio, who headed the ball out for a corner. West Ham's fortunes seemed to dip further when Miles Leaburn clipped the cross‑bar in the 19th minute, following a swift counter‑attack sparked by Campbell dispossessing Kyle Walkers‑Peter.
The Hammers continued to press, with Carey trying to beat Hermansen at the near post, but the better option appeared to be a sliding run by Campbell on the left side of the penalty area, which did not materialise into a clear chance. In first‑half stoppage time, Castellanos met Ollie Scarles' left‑wing cross with a powerful header, only to see the ball glance straight into Okonkwo's grasp. Charlton doubled their advantage early in the second half. In the 56th minute, Konstantinos Mavropanos lost possession under pressure from Leaburn, allowing Campbell to pounce and slot the ball across Hermansen into the bottom right corner.
The Charlton keeper, Okonkwo, finally faced a serious test at the hour mark, making a one‑handed save to deny Piroe's strike from the edge of the box. Shortly after, Castellanos headed another Scarles delivery, this time just wide of the post. West Ham's persistence paid off in the 74th minute when Piroe, who had earlier missed a close‑range header, finally found the net.
After Okonkwo had initially parried a shot from Castellanos, Piroe reacted quickly, smashing the rebound home. The Charlton goalkeeper then produced a spectacular tip to frustrate substitute Divine Mukasa, a recent Manchester City loanee, who could not find a way past the post‑side. Joe Rankin‑Costello had a chance to make it three for the visitors, but Hermansen managed to block the effort with his legs.
In stoppage time, a glimmer of hope appeared for West Ham when referee Andrew Kitchen awarded a penalty after Conor Coventry was judged to have handled the ball. Castellanos stepped up, but his spot‑kick struck the base of the right‑hand post, leaving the score at 2-1 in Charlton's favour. Post‑match, Castellanos reflected on the disappointment: "We trust Taty to take the penalties.
I don't know if he will take the next one; we will have to decide. We started badly again and were punished by Charlton's ability to create problems. It became much harder, but we still produced many chances, just not accurate enough in the box.
Football is about being precise in the final third and defending better. We had a lot of possession and tried to break them down, which is not easy. We should have finished better. Of course I feel the pressure – West Ham is under pressure every day, it's a big club.
You see that with 62,000 fans in the stands and we let them down. This is the most disappointing feeling. The boys fought until the end. We will repeat, repeat and repeat in training, especially in the final third, to create more scoring opportunities.
We will keep belief in the process." Charlton manager Nathan Jones praised his side's performance: "We can't get carried away because this is becoming the norm now. It's not a cup game or a one‑off match – this is the league. We had to be very organised and tactically sound. In the first half we were excellent, we countered well and could have created a little more with better decisions in the final third.
I'm proud of how they've worked and defended the box. Do we demand more goals from Lloyd Jones? Yes, because in both boxes he is one of, if not the best, first‑touch players in the Championship.
That's exactly what we want from Tyreece and what we work on. Arthur Okonkwo was outstanding. It's wonderful to work with him; he has shown real desire to belong to the club." The result leaves West Ham with a sobering reminder of the challenges ahead in the Championship, while Charlton's early season momentum continues unabated, setting the tone for what promises to be an exciting campaign for both clubs.