Charlton held off a second-half Middlesbrough onslaught to claim a valuable Premiership point at the Riverside today.

European hopefuls Charlton took a first-half lead through Jonatan Johansson but had to ride their luck after the break to avoid defeat.

Johansson and Kevin Lisbie consistently troubled the Boro defence early on but it was a different story after the restart.

Juninho was a constant menace for the home side and Geremi also cracked the woodwork as Boro upped the tempo.

Malcolm Christie netted a deserved equaliser as Boro dominated the second half but a winner proved beyond them.

Lisbie had come into the attack at the expense of Shaun Bartlett, one of four changes made by Charlton boss Alan Curbishley.

By contrast, Middlesbrough were able to keep changes to a minimum as they looked to protect a five-game unbeaten run.

Colin Cooper was the only different face in their line-up as the veteran full-back benefited from Stuart Parnaby's hamstring injury.

The disruption in the Charlton side may initially have played into Middlesbrough's hands as the home side made the brighter start.

Brazilian midfielder Juninho was soon into the action with a free-kick which rebounded off the Charlton wall and a brilliant through ball from which Massimo Maccarone should have done better.

It was the first of several good opportunities for Italian Maccarone, who again found space in the area after seven minutes but failed to find strike partner Christie.

Charlton offered little in the early stages but finally came to life after 18 minutes when Johansson wriggled free and carved out a glorious chance for Lisbie.

Lisbie managed to scoop his short-range attempt over the bar but remained in the thick of the action and squared an equally good opportunity for Johansson after a jinking run into the box.

The Finn shot straight at Mark Schwarzer but made no mistake as he ran onto another Lisbie pass after 26 minutes.

But Boro failed to heed to the warning and paid the penalty as Lisbie caught Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu and slipped the ball through for Johansson to advance and finish with precision.

Maccarone twice had opportunities to level before the break but shot wide after a smart turn on the edge of the box and then failed to make the most of a fine Christie ball.

Things could have got worse for Boro before the break but Jason Euell side-footed wide as the first half moved into injury time.

Charlton were forced into one change when Chris Powell replaced the injured Graham Stuart but Boro decided on more drastic action when the misfiring Maccarone made way for Michael Ricketts.

Franck Queudrue was also brought on for David Murphy and the changes paid immediate dividends as Boro looked a different team after the restart.

That Charlton were able to hold them out until the 57th minute was due to the woodwork and the agility of keeper Dean Kiely.

Geremi first struck the crossbar with a superb curling free-kick from the left after 47 minutes before Kiely saved twice from Juninho.

The Brazilian brought the best out of the Charlton stopper with a fierce drive from the edge of the area and he had to save again as the midfielder reacted first to the rebound.

Boro continued to force the pace as they looked to get themselves back into the game and they were rewarded when Queudrue created the equaliser.

Queudrue found space down the left and fed a dangerous ball into the box which Christie snapped up by the near post in the 57th minute for his second goal since joining the club.

The home side were now doing all the attacking and Cooper only narrowly missed the target with a powerful effort from distance.

Ricketts also went close but failed to control after good work by Christie and later found a pass from Juninho too strong.

Juninho proved a menacing presence and threatened again only to be hauled down on the edge of the area by Rufus.

Geremi fired in a dangerous free-kick but although Charlton survived, they seemed to be unable to stop the red tide.

Jonathan Greening was the next to test Kiely with a fierce shot from the edge of area he managed to keep it out.

Charlton had little to offer as an attacking force in the second half but Lisbie almost slipped Euell in for a late winner.

Juninho remained dangerous to the end yet Charlton again almost snatched victory with a Paul Konchesky free-kick which rattled the bar in injury time.

The end of the game was marred by a couple of minor scuffles which broke out in either penalty area late on.

Teams

Middlesbrough Schwarzer, Cooper, Southgate, Ehiogu, Murphy (Queudrue 45), Greening, Boateng, Geremi, Juninho Paulista, Christie (Nemeth 77), Maccarone (Ricketts 45).

Subs Not Used: Stockdale, Jones.

Booked: Ricketts.

Goals: Christie 57.

Charlton Kiely, Kishishev, Rufus, Fish, Fortune, Konchesky, Jensen (Young 76), Stuart (Powell 42), Euell, Johansson (Bartlett 86), Lisbie.

Subs Not Used: Rachubka, El Khalej.

Booked: Rufus, Lisbie.

Goals: Johansson 26.

Att: 29,080

Ref: M Dean (Wirral).