West Ham Lose 1-2 to Charlton as Castellanos Misses Stoppage-Time Penalty

Charlton Athletic beat West Ham United 2-1 at the London Stadium on Saturday, August 22, 2026, in the first league edition of this London derby since 2007. Lloyd Jones and Tyreece Campbell scored for the visitors, Joel Piroe netted on his West Ham debut, and Taty Castellanos missed a 93rd-minute penalty that would have salvaged a draw for the hosts.

The result extended Charlton’s perfect start to the Sky Bet Championship season and deepened the pressure on Nuno Espirito Santo after West Ham had already squandered a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw at Burnley on the opening weekend.

Editor’s note: This article draws on match reporting from BBC Sport, Sky Sports, Reuters, and AP, August 22, 2026. Scorers, the final score, and key incidents reflect the completed Championship fixture at the London Stadium.

Match at a glance

Detail	Information
Competition	Sky Bet Championship
Date & time	Saturday, August 22, 2026 — 15:00 BST
Venue	London Stadium, London
Final score	West Ham United 1–2 Charlton Athletic
Referee	Andrew Kitchen
Attendance	62,500 (sell-out)

Goal scorers

Minute	Scorer	How it happened
7’	Lloyd Jones	Overhead kick after Sonny Carey’s long throw bounced inside the West Ham penalty area
56’	Tyreece Campbell	Curled into the bottom-right corner after dispossessing Konstantinos Mavropanos
74’	Joel Piroe	Close-range finish on his full West Ham debut

How Charlton took control

Jones strikes early from a set piece

Charlton needed only seven minutes to silence a sell-out crowd of 62,500, including more than 3,000 away supporters. Captain Lloyd Jones — who had headed the equaliser in Charlton’s comeback win over Derby County in their season opener the previous Saturday — produced an overhead kick after West Ham allowed Carey’s long throw to bounce dangerously inside their box.

The goal was Jones’s second in as many league games and already matched his entire tally from the previous campaign. West Ham’s reaction mirrored the frustration that had greeted their collapse at Burnley seven days earlier, when they had led 2-0 before being pegged back.

Campbell punishes defensive sloppiness

Despite dominating possession, West Ham created little of genuine threat in the first half. Castellanos had the clearest opening before the break, meeting Ollie Scarles’ curling cross with a free header but directing it straight at Charlton goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo on his Addicks debut following a loan move from Wrexham.

Nuno sent on Lewis Orford for Mohamadou Kante at half-time as West Ham pushed for an equaliser, but more defensive hesitation cost them. Miles Leaburn pressured Mavropanos, Campbell stole possession, entered the box, and curled a precise finish across Mads Hermansen into the bottom-right corner to make it 2-0.

Boos rang around the London Stadium as sections of the home support turned on a side that had finished 19th in the Premier League last season and returned to the second tier for the first time since 2011.

West Ham’s fightback falls short

Piroe gives the hosts hope

Okonkwo was called into serious action on the hour, tipping Divine Mukasa’s drive around the post as West Ham’s attack — featuring new signing Arne Engels and home debutant Manor Solomon — finally found rhythm.

Joel Piroe, signed on loan from Leeds United, had earlier seen a goal ruled out after the ball had gone out of play, but the striker made no mistake in the 74th minute, converting from close range to pull West Ham back into the contest. Jarrod Bowen created further openings as the Hammers chased an equaliser, and Castellanos skimmed a header narrowly wide from another Scarles delivery.

Castellanos misses from the spot

West Ham finished with an expected-goals total approaching three compared with Charlton’s 0.57, yet the numbers told a familiar story of missed chances. Deep into stoppage time, referee Andrew Kitchen awarded a penalty after Conor Coventry was adjudged to have handled inside the area.

Castellanos — who had scored in four of his previous five home league appearances — stepped up to complete the comeback but saw his spot-kick strike the base of the right-hand post. Charlton held on for a result that left them alongside Millwall as the only teams with two wins from two Championship matches.

Context and what it means

Charlton’s statement win

For Nathan Jones and Charlton, the victory was a statement at the toughest away ground in the division. Jones told BBC Radio London that his side were “a bit lucky at the end” but had been comfortable for much of the contest, praising travelling supporters who made it “a wonderful away day.”

Charlton took seven points from teams relegated from the Premier League last season — a sharp contrast to a 19th-placed finish in their first campaign back in the Championship after promotion. Jones had spoken during the week about recruiting players with the character to compete as underdogs in hostile environments, and his captain delivered again.

West Ham’s worrying patterns

The defeat carried painful echoes for West Ham supporters. The Hammers have now lost six of their last eight opening home matches and taken just one point from their past nine London derbies in the league.

There is precedent for recovery: when West Ham lost their first home game of the 2011-12 Championship season to Cardiff City, they went on to finish third and win promotion through the play-offs. Nuno will need a similar turnaround — and sharper finishing — if this season is to follow that path rather than drift further from the Premier League.

Stat	West Ham United	Charlton Athletic
Expected goals (xG)	~3.0	0.57
Possession	Dominant	Limited
First-half shots on target	Charlton had first three attempts	More dangerous early

Tyreece Campbell was named player of the match with a rating of 8.45 in BBC Sport’s fan vote.

What comes next

Charlton travel to Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup second round on Wednesday, August 27 (19:45 BST), then host Preston North End in the Championship on Saturday, August 30 (15:00).

West Ham visit Southampton in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, August 26 (19:45), before a trip to Watford — on four points from two matches — on Saturday, August 30 (15:00).

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Discussion

Charlton arrived as underdogs at a packed London Stadium and left with six points from six — while West Ham’s xG suggested they should have won, the scoreboard told a different story.

1. West Ham generated nearly three expected goals yet lost 2-1. Is this a finishing problem Nuno can coach out of his squad, or a deeper issue with composure under pressure after relegation?

Castellanos’s missed header before half-time and the late penalty miss bookended a match where the Hammers had the ball but not the cutting edge.

2. Charlton won with 0.57 xG by punishing two defensive errors. Can Nathan Jones’s side keep winning tight games on character alone, or will they need more consistent chance creation as the season deepens?

Jones’s overhead kick and Campbell’s poaching suggest a team that knows how to hurt opponents even when out-possessed.

Share your read on whether West Ham can recover like their 2011 promotion side — or whether Charlton’s perfect start signals a genuine push up the table.

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