Charlton's dreams of European football are beginning to fade before their eyes as they slumped to their third Premiership defeat following star man Scott Parker's departure to Chelsea.
Parker was scoring for his new club at Portsmouth while his former employers went down 4-2 to Tottenham Hotspur, the first points the North London side have gained against capital opponents this season.
But Spurs, who lost that memorable cup game 4-3 to Manchester City after being three goals up, almost repeated the performance as Charlton got the scoreline back to 3-2 before Spurs secured the points with a fourth goal.
The visitors were gifted their opening goal after just ten minutes, when Paul Konchesky, who spent a lengthy period on loan at White Hart Lane earlier in the season, under-hit a back pass to his goalkeeper and Simon Davies gratefully intercepted the present.
Robbie Keane twice went close for Spurs, but Charlton must have felt the Gods were against them when first Carlton Cole and then sub Graham Stuart both saw efforts hit the woodwork and Stuart also had a goal disallowed.
Spurs increased Charlton's agony with a second goal before the break.
A Davies cross found new signing Jermain Defoe and although his close-range shot was saved by Dean Kiely, he followed up to head the ball into the net.
Any team talk Charlton manager Alan Curbishley gave to rally his troops at the interval went up in flames after just 42 seconds of the second half when Ledley King put Spurs three in front.
Although Stuart and former Spurs player Chris Perry brought Charlton back into the game, and shredded the visiting supporters' nerves yet again, a peach of a goal from young Spurs midfielder Johnny Jackson, who fired in a left-foot volley for his first Premiership goal, made sure the cockerel crowed once again.