Injury ravaged Charlton are now winless in six-games after Luton Town came from behind to win 2-1 at Kenilworth Road.

Jonathan Leko struck early before Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu strike was allowed to stand despite Addicks’ goalkeeper Dillon Phillips protesting he was impeded.

Izzy Brown’s controversial strike for the Hatters shortly after the break proved decisive as Charlton searched in vain for an equaliser.  

The result leaves Lee Bowyer’s men 14th as Greame Jones’ side climb out of the bottom three to 20th.

In a game both sides could ill-afford to lose, neither held back from the off.

The Hatters came within a cross-bar of taking the lead in the fifth minute after some neat work down the left by Harry Cornick, finding James Collins with a cut-back whose effort had beaten Phillips.

It was Charlton who struck first however just three minutes later through Leko.

Set-free by Macauley Bonne, the on-loan West Brom man showed Luton skipper Sonny Bradley a clean pair of heels before coolly slotting past James Shea.

The home side soon settled though and started to dominate and they made it count on 19minutes, albeit in controversial fashion.

Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu’s emphatic strike from ten-yards stood after referee Darren England consulted his linesman and adjudging no Luton player impeded Phillips’s vision.

Darren Pratley saw his header go close while Jason Pearce produced a superb block to snuffle out a James Collins effort as the half came to a close.

Charlton started the second half brightly but it was the home side who took the lead through another controversial strike on 53 minutes.

Brown, with a hint of handball lifted the ball over Chris Solly in the box before leaving Phillips with no chance from eight yards out.

Andrew Shinnie nearly made it three for the Hatters three minutes later, but his curing effort struck the outside of the post with the Addicks keeper well beaten.

Bowyer sent on youngster Alfie Doughty on the hour in search for an equaliser, but it was Luton who looked likely to add another on the counter.

Brown sent a free-kick inches wide, while Cornick was guilty of blazing a glorious chance way over the bar.

Gallagher had Charlton’s best chance of the half but his long-range effort hit the base of the post before going wide.

The equaliser never came and Bowyer will be hoping he will have more options come the weekend.

TEAMS:

Luton Town: Shea, Potts, Tunnicliffe (Bolton 79’), Bradley, Pearson, Shinnie, Cornick, Mpanzu, Collins, Brown, Bree

SUBS: Sluga, McManaman, Bolton, Galloway, LuaLuaa, Jones, Butterfield

Charlton: Phillips, Solly, Pearce, Lockyer, Sarr(Doughty 60’), Purrington (Davison 85’), Pratley, Morgan, Gallagher, Leko, Bonne

SUBS: Maynard-Brewer, Matthews, Oshilaja, Davison, Doughty, Vennings

Attendance: 10,004