Foé puts the brakes on flying Charlton

Charlton Athletic 2 Manchester City

Seventy minutes gone, two goals up and a fifth successive win looming. No wonder the Charlton faithful were ecstatic. But as their pragmatic manager, Alan Curbishley, pointed out: "Two-nil is a dangerous score. It's a long 90 minutes sometimes and that was a long 90 minutes."

Long enough for Marc-Vivien Foé, on loan from Lyon, to poach the goals which landed Manchester City a point. As Kevin Keegan conceded: "We were a bit fortunate, but we will take it."

The manager was also at pains to point out the enduring qualities of Peter Schmeichel in goal. At 2-0 Kevin Lisbie diddled first Steve Howey and then Richard Dunne in a manner Pele would have cheered. A third goal looked a formality, but the giant Dane spread himself to block Lisbie's close-in effort. "We don't come back very often from 3-0 down," Keegan pointed out.

It did not look as if they would have to in a barren first half notable for the way in which Foé came barrelling through from midfield in support of Nicolas Anelka and Shaun Goater. Once Dean Kiely rushed yards out of his area to deny Anelka as he homed in on a Foé through ball. Then Foé himself charged down a Kiely clearance but found the angle too sharp to turn the ball into the gaping goal.

As Charlton found the range towards half-time, first Howey, then Dunne cleared away from the line, but there was no salvation five minutes into the second half. Sloppy work in midfield gifted possession to Lisbie, who hared towards goal. He was tripped on the very edge of the penalty area and Jason Euell put the kick to Schmeichel's right for his third goal in Charlton's five-game unbeaten run.

At once there was nearly a second as Lisbie, receiving from Shaun Bartlett, unleashed a volley which dipped late on to the roof of the net. After a spell of handbags, when Euell went in late on Anelka and was pushed in the chest by the offended Frenchman, Charlton promptly collected their second score on the hour. Claus Jensen, brought on for the second half in place of Radostin Kishishev to add to Charlton's attack, delivered what was demanded. Lisbie cleverly nodded the ball down to him and Jensen's side-footed shot still had enough power to beat Schmeichel.

The keeper's fine save to prevent a 3-0 deficit was the turning point and Keegan responded to the change in fortunes by taking off Howey, from the centre of defence and bringing on Ali Benarbia, the architect of City's promotion run last season. His first touch, a cross from the left, took a deflection off a Charlton head and was volleyed home at sedate pace by Foé.

Charlton were paying for what Curbishley termed "taking our foot off the pedal a bit" and there were roars for a penalty from the 4,000 City fans as Anelka tumbled under a Richard Rufus tackle. Referee David Pugh refused the claim and was pursued to the point of intimidation by the whole City team. It appeared the ball was running out for a goal-kick before Rufus plunged in, but Charlton were further rattled by the furore and were breached again in the 87th minute.

City forced a corner which was headed out only as far as Eyal Berkovic. Persistent booing followed what Charlton fans were convinced was a con-trick to get Euell booked, as the Israeli cracked the ball back towards the Charlton net. It took a deflection straight to Foé, and City had rescued a cherished point.