Chelsea 1 Charlton 1: Substitute Marcus Bent marked his Charlton debut with the goal that ruined Chelsea's 100 per cent home record in the Premiership.
Remarkably, it was the Addicks' second success of the season at Stamford Bridge following a Carling Cup penalty shoot-out victory over Jose Mourinho's men in October.
Bent's header cancelled out Eidur Gudjohnsen's first-half opener and, for the second week running, the champions finished the game with 10 men after Ricardo Carvalho was sent off for two bookable offences.
Charlton had begun confidently enough, with Darren Bent firing one early effort just wide of Petr Cech's far post and, when the home side had looked dangerous with Frank Lampard and then Damien Duff getting into shooting positions, a raised flag from linesman Andy Williams relieved the pressure.
The official was a central figure in Gudjohnsen's 18th-minute opener however as he gave the nod to referee Steve Bennett that the Iceland international, now recreating himself in a midfield role, had indeed forced the ball over the line from Duff's corner.
Hernan Crespo had initially met it with a header Charlton goalkeeper Thomas Myhre found too hot to hold on to and, although Radostin Kishishev desperately tried to prevent Gudjohnsen's follow-up effort from crossing the line, television replays confirmed it had done just that.
The champions needed no further invitation to attack their mid-table opponents, who had been in second spot when the two sides had met at the Valley in September, and Lampard saw an over-head kick bounce just wide.
Kishishev was booked in the 29th minute for a handball offence right in front of referee Bennett and the Bulgarian was way off target from the edge of the box to end a rare counter attack of promise.
There was another setback for the away side when Dennis Rommedahl suffered a back spasm following a yellow card challenge from Carvalho and was forced off, with Marcus Bent replacing him in the 40th minute to join namesake and former Ipswich team-mate Darren in the fray.
Charlton almost found a way back into the game seven minutes after the restart when Bryan Hughes cracked a first-time effort goal-wards but the previously-redundant Petr Cech reacted quickly enough to make a diving parry to his right and the ball was scrambled away.
Chelsea had not looked worried by that but found themselves back on level terms just before the hour mark when they were caught cold by debutant Bent. Darren Bent had started the move by chesting the ball down to Darren Ambrose, whose ball over the top of the defence was perfectly anticipated by the new signing from Everton, who nodded it over the advancing goalkeeper and into the empty net.
Mourinho's response was a double change that saw Duff and Claude Makelele replaced by Shaun Wright-Phillips and the home side's own latest recruit, Portugal midfielder Maniche. The home fans vented their frustration on the other linesman, Mike Cairns, as a series of offside decisions went against Chelsea and the minutes began to tick away.
Attack after attack was repelled by the Addicks defence and John Terry picked up a 77th-minute booking for hacking Ambrose down on the run as Charlton countered. Darren Bent might have fired Charlton ahead had he not snatched at an inviting lay-back from Luke Young and fired well over.
A third Chelsea change followed with 10 minutes remaining with Carlton Cole replacing Asier del Horno but that was quickly followed by Carvalho's dismissal, with his second yellow card offence a foul on Darren Bent.
Cech blocked from Ambrose to stop Charlton taking all three points and the final few minutes, including four beyond the allotted 90, saw the 10 men pile forward in search of an equaliser which remained elusive.
