Sven-Goran Eriksson may not have got the glittering display he was hoping for from Everton prodigy Wayne Rooney, but he did see a fantastic game that Charlton just about deserved to win.

The England manager left his seat at The Valley with less than 10 minutes of the game remaining with the home side leading and Rooney still warming the bench.

Two minutes later, the 17-year-old forward finally made a belated appearance but it was too late for Eriksson and Everton.

Alan Curbishley's in-form Charlton took all three points when Kevin Lisbie made the most of a Li Tie mistake after 83 minutes.

The Chinese midfielder gave the ball away in his own half and Charlton substitute Jonatan Johansson fed Lisbie for the youngster to finish coolly.

Key moments

18 mins: Kishishev scores after Wright parries a Bartlett shot 69 mins: McBride equalises from Tie pass 83 mins: Lisbie capitalises on a Tie error 85 mins: Rooney enters the fray

That was hard on the visitors as they had fought back from being a goal down at the break with a 69th-minute strike from American forward Brian McBride.

The hosts had opened the scoring in the 18th minute when Radostin Kishishev popped up to slot home after Richard Wright had saved from Shaun Bartlett.

With both teams in form and chasing European action, the football was bright and thoughtful throughout.

Despite kicking off, Charlton conceded a corner to the visitors inside the first 15 seconds of the game.

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But, in keeping with the end-to-end nature of what would follow, the home side cleared their lines and stormed down the pitch to force the game's first chance - Barlett volleying wide.

Everton full-back Alessandro Pistone was the next man to go close when he met Thomas Gravesen's corner with a firm header that Charlton keeper Dean Kiely did well to save.

This seemed to stir the home side, and midfielder Claus Jensen in particular, into action.

Kishishev, who had already attempted an ambitious effort from long range, opened the scoring after 18 minutes when he tapped in from the far more likely distance of six yards.

With the Everton defence waiting for an offside decision on the suspiciously well-placed Lisbie, the Bulgarian was quickest to react when Wright saved from Bartlett.

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The goal prompted a purple patch for the home side, and Wright, who did his own England hopes no harm at all, had to be at his best to deny Jensen, Bartlett, Jason Euell and Parker before the interval.

But Everton did create chances of their own, and, ironically, it was one of these attacking forays that accounted for Alan Stubbs.

The defender was injured when Parker, another England possible to edge closer to the probables, crashed into Stubbs as he was shooting at goal.

Stubbs was eventually stretchered off, clearly in discomfit, and Joseph Yobo was called on in his place.

The most waited-for Everton substitute, however, had to wait much longer. And five frantic minutes at the death were not enough for Rooney to write another chapter in his remarkable story.

Charlton: Kiely, Rufus, Fish, Fortune, Kishishev, Parker, Euell, Jensen (Konchesky 86), Powell, Bartlett (Johansson 67), Lisbie.
Subs not used: Rachubka, Bart-Williams, El Khalej.

Everton: Wright, Pistone, Stubbs (Yobo 45), Weir, Unsworth (Rooney 85), Gemmill (Campbell 89), Li Tie, Gravesen, Naysmith, Radzinski, McBride.
Subs not used: Gerrard, Carsley.
Booked: Li Tie.

Attendance: 26,623

Referee: J Winter (Cleveland).