Crystal Palace - 0 Charlton Atheltic - 1: Dennis Rommedahl has made a generally forgettable start to his Charlton career. After the excitement that greeted his £2 million move from PSV Eindhoven last summer, the Dane has often looked out of place in the Premiership. He has spent time injured and plenty more on the bench, but yesterday the winger finally made a positive impact.

By scoring his first Charlton goal with virtually the last kick of a poor derby, Rommedahl gave his team a win they scarcely deserved. He also left Crystal Palace with even more reason to rue the penalty Andy Johnson saw saved by Dean Kiely.

Rommedahl had looked an unlikely hero in a contest littered with mistakes that Palace had seemed likelier to win in the second half. He had made little impact after coming on early for Jonatan Johansson. But when Danny Murphy picked him out in the closing seconds, he took advantage of poor defending by Danny Granville to speed inside the full back and lash a shot past Gabor Kiraly. "I hope he gets a massive lift from this," said Alan Curbishley. "He showed in that instant what he's about."

Charlton's manager said the team's inconsistent performances and his own inconsistent selection have hampered Rommedahl. Curbishley must also be delighted Murphy set up the goal because the midfielder has also been lambasted for failing to meet expectation. After a win that took Charlton to 10th, Curbishley scarcely hid the fact this has been a difficult few months.

Criticism from Charlton fans has been greater than ever but he was told they had left last night chanting his name. "That's nice after 14 years," he said cuttingly.

Charlton had dominated periods of the first half but never looked like scoring after the interval, when Palace were more dangerous and found themselves frustrated a few times by Kiely.

The goalkeeper saved Johnson's 58th-minute penalty after Talal El Karkouri brought down the striker. Later he saved from Joonas Kolkka and again from Johnson, who was involved in some of Palace's brighter moments.

Palace's chairman Simon Jordan must have left in an even angrier mood than he was in the build-up when he gave an interview in which he strongly criticised agents and said he had "no time for the Manchester Uniteds and Arsenals of this world".

"There's nothing to admire in those clubs," he said. "They're just bullshit worlds full of bullshit people. Football is a bullshit world. Agents are nasty scum. They're evil and divisive and pointless. They only survive because the rest of the sport is so corrupt and because leading football club people employ their sons in the job."

Jordan is understood to have bought shares in the First Artist agency at one point, but it is not clear whether he still owns them.

Palace's best openings tended to come when Kolkka or Wayne Routledge got the ball in wide areas or Johnson could use his pace. Kolkka had set up Aki Riihilahti for a header against the bar in the first half. But with Charlton effectively playing five in midfield to match their opponents, this was congested fare.