Town suffered their biggest home Championship loss since April 2018 as newly promoted Charlton Athletic netted three times in the second half to shock the Blues 3-0. The home side had been the better side in the first half, albeit with the visitors having two of the period’s three best chances, but the Blues fell apart in the second after Sonny Carey had given the Addicks the lead on 52 with Macaulay Gillesphey and Miles Leaburn adding goals on 55 and 64 to inflict the Town’s first Portman Road defeat of the season and their biggest Championship loss on their own turf since the 4-0 loss to Aston Villa more than seven years ago.

Boss Kieran McKenna made seven changes from the team which was beaten 2-1 at Middlesbrough on Friday.

Ashley Young returned at right-back with Jacob Greaves the left centre-half and Marcelino Nunez making his first home start in the deeper midfield role.

Town swapped all four of their attacking players with Kasey McAteer on the right, Chuba Akpom as the number 10, Jack Clarke on the left and Ivan Azon making his first home start as the out-and-out striker.

Azor Matisuwa missed out having amassed five bookings, while Cedric Kipre, Sindre Walle Egeli, George Hirst, Jaden Philogene, Darnell Furlong and Sammie Szmodics all dropping to the bench.

Charlton made two changes from the team which beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 at the Valley on Saturday with striker Tanto Olaofe handed his first league start for the Addicks.

Central defender Kayne Ramsay returned to the XI as the Addicks started with a back three, while Tyreece Campbell and Reece Burke switched to the bench. Former Town loanee James Bree was in the team at right wing-back.

As expected, Town dominated possession from the off and created their first opening in the seventh minute.

Nunez struck a shot from the edge of the area which was blocked by Lloyd Jones and ricocheted off McAteer towards Addicks keeper Thomas Kaminski’s right post. Azon slid in but the Belgian international glovesman dived at the Spaniard’s feet to block his effort.

Three minutes later, a speculative effort from distance from Nunez felled visitors’ skipper Greg Docherty, who for a moment looked like he’d been caught by a Fabio Wardley right hand, but after treatment as able to continue.

On 12, McAteer brought the ball forward on the right with the Charlton defence standing off him but the Irish international’s shot was to high.

As the game reached the quarter-hour mark with the Blues remaining very dominant, Clarke’s corner from the left was cleared from under the bar, then the ball was returned to the former Sunderland winger, who took it to the byline but a defender got to it ahead of Akpom and put it out for another corner, Town’s fourth of the evening.

In the 18th minute, Akpom cleverly flicked a pass behind him to Young, who played a first-time ball in for McAteer breaking to the edge of the box, however, the linesman raised his flag.

Two minutes later, Blues keeper Alex Palmer went down having passed the ball to skipper Dara O’Shea, evidently in some discomfort with a leg issue, and underwent treatment. At the other end of the field, Azon was also feeling a knock but was fine having limped his way to the touchline to take drinks and instruction along with his teammates.

Palmer eventually made his way to the touchline to applause from the home support and Christian Walton took over, making his first appearance of the season.

The game continued much as before the change, Nunez hitting an awkward bouncing ball deep into the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand in the 28th minute.

Walton was involved for the first time a minute later, coming out of his goal to claim a through ball down to his right.

On 31, Clarke sent the second of two back-to-back corners to the far post where Greaves nodded over in front of O’Shea, who might have managed a more controlled header.

Charlton created their first opening in the 36th minute, Amari’i Bell crossing from the left and finding an unmarked Carey beyond the back post, but he shot into the upper tier of the Sir Bobby Robson Stand when he should at least have made Walton make a save.

A minute later, Akpom came very close to opening his Town goals account. After the Blues had slickly moved from back to front, Azon out-muscled Gillesphey and broke towards goal on the left before cutting inside to the on-loan Ajax forward, who crashed a shot against the bar from the edge of the box. The Spanish striker’s follow-up was blocked.

Charlton were next to threaten, Olaofe leaving Young on the floor - illegally according to the Town right-back - and taking the ball in on goal, however, Walton was out quickly to block as Davis came across to cover.

But it continued to be mainly Town, Cajuste broke into the area on the left but his low pass inside was cut out.

Soon after the fourth official indicated four additional minutes, the Addicks should have gone in front, Gillesphey somehow looping over from inside the six-yard box after a corner on the left had somehow reached him towards the back post, the best chance of the half.

Moments later, Azon and then Akpom were hauled to the ground as Town broke forward, Docherty picking up the game’s first yellow card for the second.

Nunez took the free-kick and from almost 30 yards hit a well-struck effort which dipped late but landed on the roof of the net.

That was the last action of a half which had been dominated by the Blues with Charlton, as had been expected, sitting back in numbers to frustrate the home side.

Town had created a number of openings but with visiting keeper Kaminski not having been forced to stretch himself.

Akpom’s strike off the bar was the closest the Blues had come to a goal, while the Addicks will feel Gillesphey should have done better with his late opportunity.

Five minutes after the restart, Clarke brought the ball in from the right and tried an outside of the boot left-footed effort from a very tight angle which Kaminski tipped over.

Following the resultant corner, Clarke crossed from the left and Akpom headed just wide at the far post, as good a chance as the Blues had created.

Town had come close twice since the break, but in the 52nd minute the Addicks went in front.

O’Shea headed a long ball down to Carey midway inside the Blues half, the former Blackpool midfielder taking it on to the edge of the area and to the left of the Town skipper before shooting low between Walton and his right post, sending the visiting fans at that end of the ground wild.

And the Addicks supporters were on their feet again three minutes later when their side doubled their lead. Conor Coventry played in Carey on the right of the box, his cross was pushed out by Walton to Gillesphey, who headed into the net. Town, and Walton in particular, appealed for an offside flag which never came, presumably regarding Bell, who had been challenging the keeper.

Town, with the home crowd showing their frustrations, set about getting back into the game, Cajuste and then Nunez seeing shots blocked.

On 58, Azon seemed certain to score when found in space at the near post by McAteer but Jones got in the way of his goal-bound effort with a hand, according to the on-loan Como striker, and he looked to have a case.

In the wake of the resultant corner, the Blues thought they had pulled a goal back. Davis crossed from the left to the far post and McAteer nodded into the net, the ball having been too high for Akpom in front of him.

The Town fans and players were well into their celebrations when the linesman raised his flag having clearly liaised with referee Farai Hallam regarding which Blues player had headed the ball with Akpom probably onside and McAteer off.

Both sides made a double change in the 62nd minute, Charlton swapping Olaofe and Charlie Kelman for Campbell and Miles Leaburn, whose father Carl once scored a hat-trick for the Addicks at Portman Road, while the Blues switched Azon and McAteer for Hirst and Philogene.

Two minutes after being introduced, the two Addicks subs combined to make it 3-0 to the visitors. The ball was played towards the byline for Campbell on the left of the box, Cajuste giving it up for gone, but the Charlton sub cut it back to Leaburn, who headed home. Replays indicated that the ball had gone out of play, but the Town protests were again to no avail.

Town continued to look for a way back into the game, O’Shea heading wide at the far post from the second of two corners, then Clarke brought the ball in from the right but ran into trouble.

Hirst looked certain to pull one back in the 73rd minute when found in space inside the box by Clarke but the Scotland international striker was unable to get it under control and Ramsay slid in to challenge and Philogene was unable to get onto the loose ball.

Despite those opportunities, Town were looking a shell-shocked bunch with passes going astray all too often and Charlton continuing to have opportunities, Leaburn hitting a 73rd-minute shot which Walton batted away.

The Blues swapped Davis and Cajuste for Ben Johnson and Jack Taylor as the match moved into its final 15 minutes with manager McKenna perhaps already having an eye on Saturday’s home game against West Brom.

Ramsay was booked for a foul on Philogene in the 78th minute, Greaves looping a header over from the free-kick.

On 83, following a corner, Hirst looped the ball back in from the left and Greaves headed towards goal but Kaminski tipped over.

Three minutes later, the Addicks counter-attacked with Town still pushing forward looking for a goal but Leaburn shot wide. Moments later, the visitors switched Carey for Knibbs.

In the 87th minute, Clarke did well down the right and sent over a low cross but with no teammate running in on the ball, much to the anger of the North Stand fans behind the goal.

Town kept pushing as the match entered four minutes of injury time but with little hope or conviction, Taylor the latest Blues player to see a shot blocked by Charlton’s determined backline.

The final whistle was greeted by cheers from the visiting fans and boos from the Town support, who were becoming used to seeing their side win at Portman Road again following three successive victories on the trot.

And until the first Charlton goal, the Blues had been on top, however, other than Akpom’s shot against the bar and Azon’s early saved effort without coming close to a goal with the visitors defending resolutely all evening.

As at Middlesbrough on Friday, Town were vulnerable to counter-attacks and an O’Shea error gave Carey a sight of goal that he snapped up.

Further mistakes led to the second and third goals with the Blues looking a long way from a cohesive unit at the back with the seven changes on the night perhaps not helping when the squad is still finding its feet after all the summer change.

The loss is the Blues’ first home Championship defeat since losing 4-3 to Leeds in August 2023 as well as the biggest in the division since the 4-0 defeat to Villa in April 2018.

Town, who drop to 13th in the table, have also now fallen to back-to-back Championship defeats for the first time since the 2018/19 relegation campaign.

A chastening result at a time when the Blues appeared to have found their feet at home but they have a chance to bounce back when they host West Brom on Saturday.

Town: Palmer (Walton 24), Young, O’Shea (c), Greaves, Davis (Johnson 75), Nunez, Cajuste (Taylor 75), McAteer (Philogene 62), Akpom, J Clarke, Azon (Hirst 62). Unused: Furlong, Kipre, Walle Egeli, Szmodics.

Charlton: Kaminski, Ramsay, Jones, Gillesphey, Bree, Coventry, Carey, Docherty (c), Bell, Kelman (Leaburn 62), Olaofe (Campbell 62). Unused: Mannion, Burke, Rankin-Costello, Berry, Knibbs, Hernández, Apter. Referee: Farai Hallam (Surrey). Att: 28,006.

Photo: Matchday Images