The West Brom goalkeeper misjudged Claus Jensen’s early corner and the ball ended up in the net via a combination of Kevin Lisbie’s near-post flick and Hoult’s fists.

That made it 18 points from an unbeaten eight-game stretch for Alan Curbishley’s London side.

However, it was the struggling visitors who dominated throughout just 48 hours after the two sides finished games against the north London clubs.

Both Curbishley and opposite number Gary Megson fielded unchanged teams but it was the midlanders, who were cruelly beaten by a late Arsenal goal on Boxing Day, who had the fresher legs.

Having scored inside three minutes against Arsene Wenger’s side, West Brom threatened another early goal.

Jason Roberts seized on Ronnie Wallwork’s long ball and muscled his way past Gary Rowett on the edge of the area only to be denied by Dean Kiely’s save with his legs.

Rowett almost made amends with a 25-yard free-kick after Darren Moore was adjudged to have fouled Shaun Bartlett, which Russell Hoult spectacularly helped over the bar.

Hoult produced an even better stop in the sixth minute when, from a goalmouth scramble, the in-form Euell let fly from six yards and the goalkeeper remained upright to parry above his head.

Seconds later, however, an uncharacteristic Hoult error saw Charlton take the lead as Lisbie flicked on Claus Jensen’s corner and the ball went in off the goalkeeper’s fists.

That seventh-minute opener might have been followed by a stunning second in the 11th minute when Scott Parker robbed Wallwork inside his own half and advanced 50 yards.

But once again Hoult kept the hosts at bay, diving full length to his right to touch around the England Under-21 midfielder’s fierce 20-yard drive.

Yet Gary Megson’s side refused to buckle and were inches away from a leveller as referee Steve Dunn spotted Rowett’s shirt-tug on Danny Dichio and Jason Koumas curled the free-kick against the outside of an upright.

Then, only a block in the six-yard box from Luke Young kept out Dichio’s goal-bound effort, after Roberts laid Johnson’s cross into his strike partner’s path.

And Charlton were grateful to Parker for a similar intervention on the half-hour, as he nodded Darren Moore’s powerful header off the line.

West Brom’s aggressive approach hauled them back into the contest but things came close to boiling over in the 34th minute when Roberts appeared to catch Richard Rufus with an elbow.

Earlier, Roberts lashed out at Rowett following a strong challenge.

Rufus was dragged to his feet by the Albion striker, while surrounded by irate opponents, and official Dunn took his time before producing a yellow card.

The visitors ended the half in the ascendancy and Kiely stretched himself to tip a Wallwork skimmer, after a neat exchange with Dichio, around for a corner.

The Roberts-Rufus incident rumbled on after the whistle for the interval with Parker, manager Curbishley and his assistant Mervyn Day all expressing their opinions to Dunn on the pitch.

After considerable gesticulations by the trio, the referee made his way to the dressing rooms flanked by his linesmen and two stewards amid a crescendo of boos.

West Brom continued undeterred on the resumption, thundering into challenges and upsetting their hosts.

But their aggression was matched by a willingness to get forward on the counter-attack and wing-back Adam Chambers wasted a great opportunity three minutes after the break, blazing over when Koumas’ mazy dribble was halted by a Rufus tackle.

Megson’s men were camped in the Charlton half and offered a constant threat from the impressive Koumas’ dead-ball deliveries.

Moore’s downward header from a right-wing corner skidded wide off the turf as their pressure increased.

And from the next flag-kick, Rufus’ forehead diverted another powerful header, this time from Dichio, over the top.

Dunn was surrounded by angry faces a second time 20 minutes from the end, this time a posse of West Brom players, after he waved away appeals for a penalty when Rufus tussled with Roberts.

But the Black Country club could not find a way through for all their dominance and Megson went for broke in the latter stages, sending on Scott Dobie and Lee Hughes and reverting to a 4-2-4 formation, to no avail and they have now won just once in 16 games.