Charlton 5 MK Dons 1

Nearly half of Charlton's starting side found their way onto the scoresheet as Paul Ince's third-placed side were humbled at The Valley. While Addicks fans would be nuts to stick their noses up at any sort of five-goal victory, the manner in which they registered it would have made them even more satisfied as they finally looked down at the Sunday sports pages with a smile.

MK Dons did not roll over and flounder like an upturned tortoise. They didn't cripple themselves with unnecessary red cards. They didn't lose all their players to snow blindness in the sixth minute, leaving the home side to weave around confused Subbutteo statues.

In fact, they started strongly, and blasted themselves in front with the best strike of the day in the first ten minutes. Aaron Wilbraham snapped onto a floundering backward touch by Charlton, before launching a spectacular left-foot volley past Carl Ikeme from long range. Just over a minute later, a low ball straight across the six-yard box found him in perfect territory to add a second, but Sodje's desperate block rescued the Addicks.

It's moments like this that can turn a game, and MK Dons were cursing their luck as they deflected Nicky Bailey's free kick into the path of on-loan striker David Mooney a few seconds later, allowing the Reading man to skim a shot between Willy Gueret's legs.

With just over 20 minutes gone, Lloyd Sam's low cross looped off an MK Dons leg on the near post, allowing Nicky Bailey to stride in and head Charlton into the lead from inches away.

Charlton were soon to go streaking off into the distance, but not before the inevitable arrival of the good ol' "decision that could have changed everything". A Dons corner from the right missed everything except the outstretched hand of Christian Dailly, who rose and stretched like a baseball spectator trying to grab a home run ball. Dons players whirled around hollering for a penalty, but the referee didn't give anything.

In the second half, there were no such controversies to devalue Charlton's victory. Lloyd Sam arrived on a knock-down from Deon Burton on 65 minutes, cut inside deftly before punting the ball off-balance to the keeper's right. Sam Sodje smacked a header into the back of the net on 73 minutes from a Nicky Bailey corner, and then Sam's knockdown from a ballooned cross-field ball three minutes later found Deon Burton, whose lob settled into the net despite a heavy touch from the Dons keeper.

Charlton now have a three-point cushion in the automatic promotion spots over third-placed Colchester. Leeds can restore their seven-point lead if they win their game in hand, but at least Charlton are making the league leaders work for their crown at last.

Charlton: Ikeme, Richardson (Basey 63), Youga, Semedo, Sodje, Dailly, Bailey, Racon, Sam, Burton (McKenzie 78), Mooney (Sodje 78)

Subs not used: Randolph, Llera, Wagstaff, Shelvey

MK Dons: Gueret, Doumbe, McCracken, Davis (Woodards 74), Powell, Gobern (Ibehre 83), Puncheon, Leven, Chadwick (Johnson 69), Wilbraham, Baldock

Subs not used: Swailes, Carrington, Howell, Morgan

Attendance: 17,188