Charlton Athletic continued their 100% start to the Championship season with a victory over Preston, who have lost all three of their league games.

The home side took the lead after the break when Karlan Grant finished tidily after making a yard for himself in the area.

Preston, battered 4-0 at home by Everton in the Carabao Cup in midweek, looked for a way back into it but could not force Addicks keeper Arthur Okonkwo into a save of note.

Nathan Jones' men sit at the top of the table as the only side to have won all three of their league matches this campaign.

Prior to Saturday's match Preston had won their past six league matches against Charlton but hopes of making that seven today would not have been high.

Paul Heckingbottom's men had fallen to opening league losses at Bolton and to Wolves before being taken apart by Everton at Deepdale on Wednesday.

The Preston boss said his side needed five new signings before the end of the window after the defeat by the Toffees, in which midfielder Ali McCann suffered a hamstring injury, and he gave debuts to Stanley Mills and Caleb Wiley from the bench after the duo joined on Thursday and Friday respectively.

Grant gave the home side the lead with his first goal for the club since leaving for Huddersfield in January 2019 as Millenic Alli's cross came to him in the area.

Alli had a chance to wrap it up late on but was denied by a good save from Preston keeper Daniel Iversen.

It did not matter though as the away side managed just one shot on target all game and will now look to pick up their first points of the season at home to Bristol City on Tuesday.

Charlton, who have now won three games at the start of a second tier season for just the second time in their history, visit West Brom on Wednesday.

Charlton boss Nathan Jones told BBC Radio London:

"It's not so much about being top of the league, it's that we've got nine points from three games, and that's a big thing.

"And it's the manner of it too - we went to West Ham, a Premier League side, and had to defend really well, but in the other two games, both at home, we were well worth the wins.

"We said we wanted to evolve, to have different threats, to be able to score. I don't want us to stagnate, stay still, or just contain teams.

"I want us to go after teams, to be more of a threat individually and technically. The recruitment reflects that."

Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"That one hurts, I'll be honest. I felt we were in a really good place before the goal, controlling the game.

"I would have liked to carry more threat, but we still had the best chances. And we should do better with the goal. We know that.

"But they (Charlton) are willing the ball into the net, whether it's the centre-backs at set-plays or on the counter - a scruffy goal like that.

"For all the control we had, we haven't got that killer instinct at the top end of the pitch at the minute. That's the difference. That's what's cost us today.

"There were some good individual performances. It's not one of those where I'm coming off saying anyone's had a bad game.

"Large parts of the performance were good. But like I've said many times, the game's about winning both boxes."