The explosive pace of Boa Morte, moving in from the left to a more central position appeared intent on grabbing all the headlines.
For all the goalmouth action the opening exchanges were scrappy - the long ball was much in evidence as Charlton tried to release the Bents on the break.
Darren Bent was a constant menace with his pace and clever runs and he forced an excellent save from Antti Niemi, when he looked odds-on to score. But Charlton's defence seemed to be going out of its way to accommodate the Cottagers' attempts to obtain their target of 39 points as the visitors looked to have hit a purple patch.
The game erupted into action in the final minute but overall this least antagonistic of London derbies — no bookings, no hostility between the two sets of fans — was an all too friendly affair.