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Spot-kick joy as Charlton dump out Chelsea

Stephan Andersen was the hero as Charlton sensationally dumped Chelsea out of the Carling Cup on penalties after a dramatic night at Stamford Bridge.

The great Dane plunged to his right to turn away Robert Huth's spot-kick while his teammates produced a penalty masterclass with Darren Bent, Jay Bothroyd, Matt Holland and Hermann Hreidarsson all netting before Bryan Hughes fired home to clinch a 5-4 success.

It was all the visitors deserved for a superb performance across the capital - but it was an evening to forget for Huth.

John Terry had headed the hosts in front in the 41st minute from an Arjen Robben corner but some dreadful defending from the big German allowed Bent to fire Charlton level moments later.

After that, Alan Curbishley's side, to a man, performed heroically - and they even had to solider through the closing stages of extra-time with 10 men after Talal El Karkouri hobbled off.

One hopes it was only a precautionary departure for the towering Moroccan, who was simply outstanding on his return to the starting line-up.

He wasn't the only one with skipper Luke Young, Hreidarsson and veteran Chris Powell equally magnificent in the rearguard.

Curbishley wanted a selection problem, boy has he got one now.

Holland, who has been chomping at the bit to get back in the first-team fold, looked like he had never been away and Hughes also served full note of his capabilities.

The Charlton chief made four changes for this clash between the Premiership's two leading lights.

Despite playing in the previous round against Hartlepool United, Russian midfielder Alexei Smertin was unavailable due to his loan agreement with parent club Chelsea.

Radostin Kishishev was also given a breather from midfield with Hughes and Holland afforded the chance to impress in the midfield triangle and how.

There were also two changes at the back with Powell back in on the left of defence with Jonathan Spector making way.

Chris Perry, ever-present in the Premiership this season, vacated his centre-back spot to El Karkouri while Jerome Thomas returned from injury to take a place on the bench.

That left skipper Young as the only man to feature from the start in all 11 fixtures this term.

For Chelsea, boss Jose Mourinho made no fewer than seven changes from Sunday's 1-1 draw at Everton - and six of them were internationals!

Players of note included returning left-back Wayne Bridge, back after an eight-month lay-off with a broken ankle, while Hernan Crespo, so impressive at The Valley last month, got the nod up front.

An overhit back pass from Powell almost took Andersen by surprise in the early stages but Curbishley would have been pleased how his side settled into the game.

El Karkouri, in particular was winning a sizeable chunk of his headers and a sparkling passage of passing football from the visitors had Mourinho reaching for his notebook on the touchline.

But it was the hosts who had the first opening of the evening when Eidur Gudjohnsen teed up Paulo Ferreira, whose stinging drive was beaten away by Andersen.

The ball looped up just behind Crespo and the Argentinian's overhead angled effort was clutched low by the Danish keeper.

Dazzling footwork from Darren Ambrose opened up the first shooting opportunity for the visitors in the 18th minute but his tame effort posed no problems for Blues' second choice stopper Carlo Cudicini.

Then Rommedahl's cross was half-cleared to Danny Murphy, who drilled his shot wide of the left-hand upright.

But the best chance of the game thus far came in the 23rd minute as Bridge reminded the Stamford Bridge faithful what they had been missing since February.

The surging left-back latched on to a delightful flick from Robben and delivered a wonderful cross into the dangerzone.

Suddenly Crespo had ghosted away from his marker and the unmarked Argentine's header beat Andersen but scraped the left-hand upright.

The hosts were starting to flex their muscles a little and Powell got across to produce a crucial intervention to cut out Crespo's dangerous cross after more good Blues work down the left side.

Shaun Wright-Phillips blazed high over the bar after two subsequent corners and it was all getting a bit hairy in and around the Addicks penalty box before the visitors at last broke the shackles.

And it was Bent who broke purposefully towards the Chelsea box before being cynically taken out by Michael Essien.

The Frenchman was rightly booked by Alan Wiley and Hughes followed him into the notebook shortly afterwards for a similar challenge on a breaking Gudjohnsen.

Nothing came from the subsequent free-kicks but Rommedahl's stinging drive warmed the hands of Cudicini in the 31st minute.

The towering Huth steered a header well wide when left in space while Addicks' best chance to date came when Rommedahl picked out fellow flanker Ambrose, whose sizzling drive flew fractionally over the top.

But it was the hosts who drew first blood four minutes before the break after some dazzling wing-work from Robben.

The Dutchman outwitted Hreidarsson on the right and Powell again tucked back to concede the corner.

Robben himself delivered the flag-kick and Terry got ahead of his man to bullet an unstoppable header past Andersen.

With Chelsea in front, one feared for the visitors but they were level before the break.

A few gleeful home fans had departed to the concourses for a premature half-time cuppa and they missed a calamitous mistake from Huth.

The German's attempts to deal with Young's headed clearance were woeful as his back header sold Cudicini short and Bent stole in to lash a low shot past the Italian and into the bottom corner.

The hosts started strongly after the break and Terry drilled a shot just wide from the edge of the box after a free-kick from Huth had crashed into the wall.

At the other end Rommedahl had faint shouts for a penalty after his drive clattered against a Blue shirted defender but it was Chelsea who continued to look a threat as Wright-Phillips spun and fired off target.

The Addicks were carved open by some superb interplay in the 56th minute with Robben eventually sending Gudjohnsen bounding through the middle.

The back-tracking Hughes put enough pressure on the Icelander whose shot brought another fine save from Andersen.

It was enough for Mourinho to send for the cavalry in the 61st minute as Frank Lampard and Joe Cole were unleashed from the bench with Bridge and Wright-Phillips making way.

Crespo's cheeky flick at a corner hit the side-netting before Curbishley shuffled his pack for the first time, bringing on Thomas for Rommedahl on 64 minutes.

The outstanding Young produced a vital headed intervention ahead of Crespo and the action quickly switched to the other end where Bent's persistence forced a corner as he charged down a clearance from Cudicini.

Geremi was booked for a challenge on Thomas after a great advantage from Wiley and shortly afterwards Bothroyd entered the fray to replace Ambrose.

Lampard fired just over from long range moments later and the England midfielder's bobbler was well dealt with by Andersen as the clock ticked down.

A jinking run from Thomas gave Bent a shooting opportunity which he curled wide but Powell came to the rescue again as Gudjohnsen evaded Young's challenge and sped clear; the wily left-back was in the right place to clear the cross.

Kishishev came on for the hard-working Murphy eight minutes from time and Didier Drogba replaced Crespo as both managers completed their replacement allocation.

Terry bludgeoned Bothroyd right on the edge of the box after a long clearance and suddenly the Addicks found themselves in a terrific position.

Kishishev's attempts to roll the ball to the striker were far less subtle than the man that made way for him but Bothroyd shifted along the edge of the area and arrowed a fearsome drive that was superbly tipped over by Cudicini.

Hughes and Young produced notable defensive contributions as the match headed into three minutes of stoppage time and Charlton hearts were in their mouths when Lampard's corner found Robben on the edge of the box only for the Dutchman to curl an effort agonisingly over the bar.

And that was that, as the London rivals headed for an extra half-hour - the least the Addicks deserved for their efforts.

After a short stoppage when El Karkouri received attention some panicked defending in the Addicks box offered a half-chance to Lampard with the ball eventually snaffled into the side-netting.

The visitors were then rescued by some selfish play from Gudjohnsen after a slip from Powell let in the Icelander.

Drogba was in all kinds of space on the eight but the midfielder elected to pursue his own path and Young got across to clear.

Mourinho exchanged angry words with Bothroyd in the 99th minute after the striker collided with Essien - the French midfielder made a meal of minimal contact and flung himself to the turf all too easily.

Brave work from Kishishev foiled Lampard at the expense of a corner but Curbishley, and the rest of the Addicks coaching staff were fuming when Terry went in late on Andersen.

The big keeper had done well to clutch a Drogba effort low in the 101st minute only to be pole-axed by the Chelsea skipper as he held on to the ball.

Thankfully for the hosts Wiley produced only a yellow card after consulting his assistant and Gudjohnsen was well off target before the first period came to a close.

Andersen confidently plucked the ball off the head of Drogba soon after the restart and Powell covered ahead of Gudjohnsen at the expense of a corner.

Big Huth again seized possession at the edge of the box but, after his initial shot was blocked by a grounded Bothroyd, his second cannoned off El Karkouri.

This was resilience of the highest order from the visitors but their cause was hardly helped as El Karkouri hobbled off to leave them shorthanded.

The Moroccan's super-human efforts earned a pat on the back from Curbishley as he lie prone by the touchline and Holland filled in at centre-back.

Cole's effort was well held low by Andersen as El Karkouri settled for a place on the bench for the closing minutes.

Robben, just as at the end of normal time, scooped another effort over from the edge of the box in the dying seconds but there was still so separating the sides as the match headed for penalties.

Robben's effort was cancelled out by Bent before Andersen sprung to his right to deny Huth.

The keeper also guessed the right way for the efforts from Lampard and Drogba but saw the ball squeeze in on both occasions.

Bothroyd, Gudjohnsen, Holland and Hreidarsson all netted before Hughes sent the visiting fans into raptures at the end of a night to remember.

Charlton: Andersen; Young, Powell, Hreidarsson, El Karkouri; Ambrose (Bothroyd 74), Holland, Hughes, Murphy (Kishishev 82), Rommedahl (Thomas 64), Bent.

Subs (not used): Kiely, Spector.

Goal: Bent 45.

Booking: Hughes 32 (foul on Gudjohnsen).

Chelsea: Cudicini; Ferreira, Bridge (J Cole 61), Terry, Huth; Essien, Geremi, Gudjohnsen, Wright-Phillips (Lampard 61), Robben, Crespo (Drogba 83).

Subs (not used): Cech, Diarra.

Goal: Terry 41

Bookings: Essien 29 (foul on Bent), Geremi 72 (foul on Thomas), Terry 101 (foul on Andersen).

Referee: A Wiley.

Attendance: 42,198.

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