Any hopes of a Charlton revival following their victory at Brentford were dented at the Valley last night as the Addicks were held to a 0-0 draw by MK Dons.
In what was their most significant game of the season, Jose Riga’s side appeared flat throughout and only seriously threatened the Dons’ defence in the final 15 minutes.
The result leaves Charlton seven points from safety with 10 games remaining.
Here’s five things we learned from the stalemate:
Lookman must feature more prominently
Jose Riga defended his decision to omit Ademola Lookman from his starting line-up, although he admitted he should have introduced the youngster sooner against a tiring MK defence.
His absence was not particularly surprising – he has only started two games in 2016 – but to utilise the club’s brightest young talent as an impact substitute seems naïve and counterintuitive.
The forward is by no means the finished article but after his late introduction he provided the Addicks with a threat that had been missing all evening.
Chants calling for Lookman were not misplaced – it’s time to unleash the 18-year-old.
Yaya let the club down
Charlton took a gamble on Yaya Sanogo. This is a player with a scarce goalscoring record and a mixed reputation in England.
But after his instant impact against Reading it appeared SE7 could be the perfect place for the Frenchman to reignite his career.
Now he faces a three-match suspension for a blatant elbow on Antony Kay.
MK Dons boss Karl Robinson labelled it “disgusting” and you simply cannot argue. Experienced defender Kay undoubtedly provoked Sanogo with a few kicks and words, but his reaction was disgraceful.
Great Dane not suited by system
Simon Makienok, recalled to the starting XI, endured a frustrating evening against a resolute Dons defence.
The Dane appeared horribly isolated at times and, while the formation and system didn’t help him, he has to look at his own performance.
The 25-year-old isn’t reaching his early-season form and needs to start bullying defences again – something we saw at Rotherham.
Charlton have a leader in Cousins
It’s easy to forget, due to his young age, that Jordan Cousins has already played over 120 games for the Addicks.
The academy graduate followed up Saturday’s superb performance with another solid display in the heart of Charlton’s midfield.
When the team needed a lift, it was him rallying the troops.
It could have even been a different story had his curling effort in the second half found the top corner.
Tight defence could keep MK up
No team in the bottom eight have conceded less goals this season (48) than Karl Robinson’s side.
When you compare that with Charlton, who have shipped 66 goals this term, it is easy to see why the gap between the two clubs is seven points.
The visitors also lacked potency in the final third but a solid defensive record will make them hard to catch.
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