Charlton 4 West Ham 2

Last updated : 22 January 2003 By David Robson

West Ham's relegation problems continued as they crashed to a 4-2 defeat at London neighbours Charlton in their rearranged clash at The Valley.

Although they took the lead the Hammers contributed to their own downfall with some poor defending as all four Charlton goals were scored by midfielders.

West Ham have now gone 14 league games without a win and stay at the foot of the Premiership table with their position getting more desperate as every match goes by.

The Hammers took the lead with virtually their first attack of the game when Edouard Cisse's shot hit Charlton defender Richard Rufus and looped over Dean Kiely into the net.

But the home side equalised and then took the lead with two goals in three minutes just before the interval.

Claus Jensen fired home a 25-yard free kick in the 42nd minute and Scott Parker then gave the home side the lead after being put through by Jason Euell three minutes later.

Charlton increased their lead just after the break when Parker scored his second goal of the game from the edge of the area after the Hammers had failed to clear Jensen's free kick.

West Ham pulled a goal back when Michael Carrick's shot hit Trevor Sinclair and deflected into the net and for a while the visitors threatened to grab an equaliser with Sinclair shooting wide from a good position.

But in the last minute more poor defending allowed Charlton to score a fourth goal as two of the home side's substitutes - Jonatan Johansson and Mathias Svensson - set up Bulgarian international Radostin Kishishev to score for his first ever Charlton goal.