Shaun Maloney took responsibility for the defeat

• Wigan Athletic’s three game winning run came to an end as Charlton Athletic recorded their first away win of the season.
• Latics manager Shaun Maloney decided to tinker with his starting line-up and it had a detrimental effect as his team were outplayed in the first half.
• Alfie May opened the scoring in the 21st minute following a corner and he doubled the lead on 31 minutes with a low drive into the bottom corner.
• With Latics in disarray the visitors Corey Blackett-Taylor added a third two minutes before half-time with a powerful strike.
• Maloney made a triple substitution at half-time and substitute Martial Godo assisted Thelo Aasgaard pull a goal back with six minutes remaining.
• Substitute Stephen Humphrys fired home on 90 minutes to further reduce the deficit but it was all too late as Charlton held on for the three points.
• Latics remain in 19th place and Charlton are in 11th place in League One.

Maloney surprisingly made three changes to his starting XI as Tom Pearce, Lang and Charlie Wyke all returned to the team replacing Steven Sessegnon, Martial Godo and Stephen Humphrys.

The visitors had the first effort at goal as May cut inside onto his right foot and fired an effort just wide of Sam Tickle’s far post.

At the other end Jordan Jones crossed to Aasgaard, but he couldn’t get his shot away and the ball was cleared.

But the Addicks continued to look dangerous and Blackett-Taylor’s deflected effort from the edge of the box was superbly tipped over by Tickle.

Latics went close on 15 minutes when Aasgaard was tripped outside the box and Lang stepped up to take a free kick, but despite clearing the defensive wall, he was denied by the Charlton crossbar.

Charlton were ahead on 21 minutes. A corner from the right was initially cleared, but the cross came back in from Louis Watson and was met by the unmarked May. His header was kept out by  Tickle, but the ball rebounded off the Charlton striker and found its way into the net.

Just ten minutes later and it was two. May picked the ball up on the edge of the box, took one touch and drilled a low strike into the far right corner and beyond Tickle.

Three minutes before half-time the Addicks made it three. George Dobson found Miles Leaburn who laid the ball into the path of Blackett-Taylor who finished powerfully into the corner.

Charlton had produced some clinical finishing but Latics defence had just been too open.

Maloney made three changes at the break as Humphrys, Godo and Scott Smith came on for Wyke, Lang and Liam Shaw.

But it was the visitors who had the first attempt at goal in the second half as Tyreece Campbell struck Tickle’s near post and rebounded away for a goal kick.

Humphrys tried his luck from distance but his powerful effort was straight at Ashley Maynard-Brewer.

But the visitors still looked threatening and Campbell forced Tickle into a low save at his near-post. 

Substitute Callum McManaman replaced Jones on 62 minutes and he was soon in the action, crossing for Aasgaard whose effort hit the crossbar and then went over.

Aasgaard went close again on 72 minutes as Maynard-Brewer denied him following a back-post header.

But on 84 minutes Godo and Aasgaard combined skilfully before the Norwegian U21 international fired high into the net from 15 yards out.

In the 90th minute Humphrys lashed the ball into the top home from just inside the box to make it 3-2 but it was all too late for Latics to get an equaliser. If only Maloney hadn’t tinkered with his team.

Overview

Unfortunately Maloney got his team selection wrong against Charlton. Martial Godo and Stephen Humphrys had been very impressive at the weekend against Shrewsbury but they were surprisingly dropped to the bench for Lang and Wyke. Tom Pearce presumably came into the team because Steven Sessegnon was injured.

The manager may want to try to keep all his players happy by rotating his team but on this occasion he got it badly wrong.

Callum Lang is struggling for form and he often runs around energetically to limited effect. Charlie Wyke still looks a little off the pace and he lacked service from the wings.

Maloney has at least admitted his mistake and he will have learned a hard lesson.

I believe Michael Appleton may have surprised Maloney with his tactics. Charlton had come with an attacking 4-3-3 formation and they pressed high and in numbers exposing Latics back three.

Appleton had out-thought Maloney and the visitors could easily have been more than three goals ahead at half-time. Charlton had been clinical but Latics had stood off and allowed them the space.

Latics rallied after the interval but the damage had been done in the first half.

Post match comments

Speaking afterwards Shaun Maloney took full responsibility for the defeat.

“Standing here, I’m still very angry about the first half,” he said.

“The second half is everything I want to see in our team, and the first half was the very opposite.

“I spoke previously and said we could be a decent team when our mentality is right. When it isn’t right, we can get beat by any team in this league, and the first half showed that.

“I have to give them (Charlton Athletic) credit, they were good and it could’ve been more (at half-time). I made three changes before the game, and take responsibility for that. I didn’t get the team right.

“From top to bottom, we have to make sure that we never get complacent. We can’t ever be over confident. I’ve tried to keep things as level as we can, and the first half was not the right mentality.

“We didn’t start the game at all, and Charlton were far superior in the first half. 

“I got this wrong, and I’ll take this one for the group. I’ve spoken to them about this weekend which is a huge game (to bounce back in).”

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