CHARLTON scored twice in the second half to go five points clear at the top of League One with a hard-fought win away to Sheffield United.

Yann Kermorgant headed home Dale Stephens’ corner with his first touch after coming on from the bench three minutes before Bradley Wright-Phillips capitalised on a defensive error to seal the victory.

With Preston North End losing to Leyton Orient as well, it was a happy Saturday for the Addicks fans as their margin at the summit of the division was extended in one of the choice clashes on the fixture list.

Much like Tuesday night when the Addicks travelled to high-flying opposition, they had to endure some testing moments in the early going.

Ten minutes in, only a goal-line clearance from Johnnie Jackson prevented Neill Collins from breaking the deadlock with a free header from the first corner of the game.

Stephen Quinn and Chris Porter were lurking in an attempt to stab the ball beyond the line on the rebound, but the defence were able to get it away.

Wright-Phillips was almost able to get through on goal from Paul Hayes’ delicate loft into the area, but superb defending from Collins denied the striker just as he prepared to pull the trigger from eight yards.

As the hosts dramatically increased their tally of corner kicks heading up to the halfway point of the first period, Ben Hamer mis-judged a run out of goal to deal with one and left an open goal for the Blades to head across, until Dale Stephens nodded it clear.

Despite having their hands full, Charlton fashioned a few chances of their own and really should have taken the lead on 27 minutes when Hayes cleverly flicked Michael Morrison into a one-on-one with Steve Simonsen on the edge of the six yard box.

The defender was still upfield from an away set piece moments beforehand, but under heavy pressure from two defenders he was unable to shoot on target despite looking odds-on to open his Charlton account.

As the interval loomed, Ched Evans nodded another cross back forwards the near post from the far upright and but for some desperate defending from Hamer and Chris Solly, the boys in blue could have been behind.

Evans was denied twice in succession in the dying embers of the first 45 by Morrison and centre-back partner Matt Taylor as the hosts continued to attempt to convert their edge into a concrete lead.

Though the second half began a little more subdued, things flared up a notch when Scott Wagstaff earned the game’s first booking.

The touch paper was truly lit by the first substitution of the game, a rare switch before the 70 minute mark by manager Chris Powell, with Hayes making way for Kermorgant.

The next action of the game was a Stephens corner, which was headed into the back of the net by the Frenchman’s very first contribution to the contest.

Things went from bad to worse for Danny Wilson’s troops three minutes later courtesy of an unprovoked error from Collins which allowed Wright-Phillips to bear down on goal unattended.

His initial shot after an overly heavy first touch was well blocked by Simonsen, but the rebound fell right back at the feet of the forward with an open goal in front of him for the lead-doubling tap-in.

With United reeling, there were chances for 3-0 but for a Matt Lowton block on Jackson’s cross to prevent danger followed by another strong save from Simonsen when Rhoys Wiggins was allowed through on the left.

But the hosts will wonder how they didn’t at the very least give themselves a chance of a fightback, a consolation failing that, when Hamer denied Evans and Michael Doyle with a string of excellent one-handed stops in the closing stages.

Skipper Doyle rattled the far post in stoppage time, leaving the home fans wondering how they had failed to get on the scoresheet at some stage.

For the jubilant occupants of the Bramall Lane stand, however, all that mattered was that their side had come out of one of the season’s toughest fixtures on paper with three points and a clean sheet.

Charlton: Hamer, Solly, Morrison, Taylor, Wiggins, Wagstaff (Hughes 86), Hollands, Stephens, Jackson, Hayes (Kermorgant 64), Wright-Phillips (Green 78). Subs not used: Sullivan, Cort. Att: 20,743