Charlton 4-0 Carlisle
Last updated on .From the section Football
Charlton remain top of League One after extending their unbeaten home run to seven by dominating 10-man Carlisle.
Yann Kermorgant headed his first inside six yards from Rhoys Wiggins's cross before Bradley Wright-Phillips poached a second after a defensive mix-up.
Kermorgant drilled home from 12 yards before Carlisle had Matt Robson sent off on half-time for a second yellow.
Danny Hollands fired in from 25 yards while Ben Hamer saved James Berrett's penalty to deny Carlisle a consolation.
The visitors, unbeaten in four prior to their trip to The Valley, struggled to deal with Charlton's attacking threat from early on.
Johnnie Jackson soon unlocked Carlisle's defence with a dinked ball through to Wiggins, who crossed perfectly for Kermorgant to head home inside the six-yard box.
Seven minutes later Tom Taiwo's tentative header back to Carlisle keeper Collin was seized upon by Wright-Phillips, who claimed his eighth goal of the season.
Wiggins turned provider again when his run to the byeline found Wright-Phillips, who had two efforts blocked before the ball fell to Kermorgant on the penalty spot and the Frenchman converted.
Things got worse for the visitors just before the break when Robson, who was already booked for a foul on Danny Green, saw red for clipping Wright-Phillips as the striker went past him.
After the interval Hollands hit a rasping shot that Collin looked to have covered but the ball crept through the luckless keeper's legs.
The Cumbrians were awarded a penalty after the ball appeared to strike Wiggins' hand but Berrett's powerful penalty was well saved by Hamer.
Wiggins was denied a call for a handball at the other end when Berrett appeared to commit an offence in Carlisle's box shortly after.
The victory is Charlton's ninth win of their League One campaign and ensures they stay one point ahead of second-placed Huddersfield who defeated Preston 3-1.
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Charlton manager Chris Powell told BBC London 94.9:
"I'm ecstatic because we've responded in great fashion from last week [a 1-0 defeat at Stevenage].
"I think everyone was hurt at losing our unbeaten run because we wanted to carry it on.
"It wasn't to be, so you move on and that's exactly what we've done."
Carlisle United boss Greg Abbott told BBC Radio Cumbria:
"We could have played a Conference side today and if we had made errors like that we would have been beaten.
"They are a good side, there are 16 or 17,000 in here, they are top of the league and they have got a lot going for them, they have got a bit of momentum and are decent - but whether they are good enough to win the league who knows.
"We weren't as good as we can be to find out the real truth about them today."
