Lee Bowyer has blasted his Charlton side’s performance in the wake of their 1-0 defeat to relegation-threatened Middlesbrough.

The Addicks boss said all his players underperformed and admitted they were fortunate to escape with having only conceded a single goal.

George Saville’s strike inside a minute was enough to gift Boro all three points, but they easily could have won by a few more had they taken their chances.

Bowyer said: “From the first whistle they were better than us. There are not many times I have watched a game and we’ve been outfought.

“It’s disappointing, it’s disappointing performance. [The] second half was a bit better, first half was very poor.

“It’s not like our side, our side is normally fighting and competing. It’s wasn’t one or two [players underperforming], it was everybody.

“I don’t know why. Preparation all week has been good, they’ve been good in training all week, and then they just looked nervous. In possession I’ve never seen them like that before.

“We didn't win a second ball all day. We didn't stop the cross, defended poorly for the goal. To concede in the first minute is just ... it can't happen.

“There were a lot of bad things today. I've been in charge 18 months, something like that, maybe more, and there are not many times that I've actually questioned them in the physical side of the game.

“Once you don't have that, and your passing is as bad as what it was, then you're going to struggle. That's how it went from the start until the end, really.

“Even when we got into good positions our crosses were poor, our quality was just poor. All over.

“We're normally on the front foot and we create chances, and score goals. But, for whatever reason, [we didn't].

“The two up top [Macauley Bonne and Jonathan Leko] I thought, first half, were poor. Didn't hold the ball up, gave the ball away every time they got it, and when that happens you're never going to get out of your half.

“There's not one person really that can say, 'You know what? I've done well today'. It's just one of those things.

“We were lucky to lose 1-0, they should have scored more.”