Charlton vs Leyton Orient LIVE
A free-kick from Macaulay Gillesphey gave Charlton victory over Leyton Orient in the League One play-off final and secured promotion to the Championship. The Addicks are back in the second tier after five seasons in the third tier.
Both clubs came into the game in red-hot form. Richie Wellens’ Orient had won their last six matches to pip Reading to the final top-six spot and then beat Stockport on penalties in their play-off semi-final. Charlton stormed into the play-offs with a brilliant season half of the season under Nathan Jones, and then saw off Wycombe.
It was more Wembley disappoint for Orient, who hit the bar in the second half. But Charlton can look forward to a shot at the Championship next season under Jones. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Dom Smith at Wembley.
League One play-off final latest
- GOAL! Gillesphey free-kick puts Charlton ahead
Jones: This is the best day of my footballing life
16:01 , Giuseppe MuroCharlton boss Nathan Jones has described today as “the best day of my footballing life”.
"The best day of my footballing life" ❤️
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 25, 2025
Charlton manager Nathan Jones reacts to his side winning the Play-off Final 🏆 pic.twitter.com/gUdksxRiWb
Gillesphey: I fancied the free-kick as soon as it come up
15:20 , Giuseppe MuroCharlton match-winner Macaulay Gillesphey to Sky Sports: "I fancied it as soon as it come up and when it went in, buzzing.
"A free-kick at Wembley to win, unbelievable.
"The squad's class. I'm sure the gaffer will make it even better next season.
"It's one big effort and we've done it."
Jones: Euphoria for Charlton, now we kick on
15:12 , Giuseppe MuroCharlton manager Nathan Jones to Sky Sports: "This is euphoria. We've had to battle, we didn't play well. We just defended really well. To win a game here and keep a clean sheet, I'm so, so happy.
“There's also a bit of relief, but the majority is euphoria and pride. This is a good Orient side and they've hardly had a chance on goal. And that's down to our side.
“I wanted to build something. That's why I cam here. It's the first step. Now we kick on."
Full-time: Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
15:03 , Giuseppe MuroCharlton are promoted to the Championship!
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
15:02 , Giuseppe Muro90+10 mins: Orient work the ball well, but then another delivery is poor and Mannion gathers again.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
15:01 , Giuseppe Muro90+9 mins: A cross into the Charlton box finds Happe but his header is straight at Mannion. Time is running out for Orient.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
15:00 , Giuseppe Muro90+8 mins: Straight at Mannion, who produces a routine catch and collapses to the turf. Poor from Donley. Orient needed a better delivery there with everyone forward.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:59 , Giuseppe Muro90+7 mins: Orient win a free-kick. Crossing position from the left. Donley over it, can he find a quality delivery?
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:57 , Giuseppe Muro90+5 mins: There’s been little in the way of attacking from Orient so far in added time.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:55 , Giuseppe Muro90+3 mins: Orient still have time to rescue this, but Charlton have seen off the first three minutes of added time.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:52 , Giuseppe Muro90 mins: 11 minutes of added time...
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:51 , Giuseppe Muro90 mins: A reminder that there was injury-time winners in all three games between these sides this season.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:50 , Giuseppe Muro89 mins: Aneke with a snap shot that Keeley is forced to turn behind.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:49 , Giuseppe Muro88 mins: After about an seven-minute break, we’re back underway. That means there will be plenty of added time...
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:48 , Giuseppe Muro85 mins: Play has still not resumed. This is not ideal at this stage of the game.
Dom Smith at Wembley
14:46 , Giuseppe MuroThe attendance at Wembley is 76,193 - a fine effort from both sides.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:45 , Giuseppe Muro82 mins: A break in play as the referee has an issue with his earpiece. Orient boss Wellens is not happy. He knows this is taking the sting out of the game and that benefits Charlton.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:43 , Giuseppe Muro81 mins: And a triple change for Orient. Happe, Williams and Abdulai on for Beckles, Agyei and O'Neill.
Dom Smith at Wembley
14:42 , Giuseppe MuroSome time-wasting creeping in from Charlton now, with Orient enjoying more space as the side in the lead invite pressure. The O's have just 10 minutes left to find a leveller now, plus however much stoppage time is added on.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:41 , Giuseppe Muro80 mins: Charlton’s front two are coming off. Godden and Campbell replaced by Aneke and Mbick.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:37 , Giuseppe Muro75 mins: Orient have been much better in this second half and have seven shots, but none have been on target.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:36 , Giuseppe Muro73 mins: Double change for Orient. Clare and Brown replaced by Ball and James.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:35 , Giuseppe Muro72 mins: Agyei cuts in from the right but his cross is over-hit and goes out for a goal kick.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:33 , Giuseppe Muro70 mins: Big save from Keeley! A shot from Docherty is deflected and the Orient goalkeeper is forced to tip over the ball. Orient don’t clear the corner and a Charlton cross flashes across the face of the goal.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:30 , Giuseppe Muro68 mins: Orient are really knocking on the door now. A long throw into the box is headed behind for a corner. It comes to nothing but Orient are well on top.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:28 , Giuseppe Muro67 mins: Double change for Charlton. Gilbert and Small replaced by Watson and Anderson.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:27 , Giuseppe Muro65 mins: Donely... blocked. And Charlton clear.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:26 , Giuseppe Muro64 mins: Orient free-kick, right on the edge of the area in a central position. Donley brought down by Gilbert. Great position for Orient. Kelman and Donley standing over it...
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:23 , Giuseppe Muro61 mins: Orient hit the bar! So much better from Orient now. Kelman’s effort deflects onto the top of the crossbar. So close.
Dom Smith at Wembley
14:22Huge chances come and go for Leyton Orient, first from Currie, and then Brown. It had been all Charlton in the opening 13 minutes of the second half until those huge opportunities. Will the O's come to rue those narrow misses?
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:21 , Giuseppe Muro59 mins: Another chance for Orient! Brown turns and shoots just over the bar. Good spell this for Orient now.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:20 , Giuseppe Muro58 mins: Close to an Orient equaliser! The corner is cleared only as far as Currie, whose deflected effort flies inches wide of the post with Mannion beaten.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:19 , Giuseppe Muro57 mins: The first time this half we’ve seen Kelman run in behind the Charlton defence. Galbraith picks him out with a brilliant ball and Kelman wins a corner.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:16 , Giuseppe Muro54 mins: The free-kick is headed away.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:15 , Giuseppe Muro53 mins: Charlton win a free-kick on the left wing as Campbell is brought down by Beckles. Crossing position.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:13 , Giuseppe Muro50 mins: Good build-up play from Orient, Galbraith works a crossing position on the right but his cross is straight at Mannion. Better from Orient though.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:09 , Giuseppe Muro48 mins: It’s an obvious thing to say, but the next goal feels huge. Can Orient get Kelman into the game? Charlton’s three centre-backs have been pretty comfortable so far.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
14:07 , Giuseppe Muro46 mins: Back underway. Charlton are 45 minutes away from a place in the Championship.
Here’s the goal that separates the two teams at the break. Make your own mind up on whether Keeley should do better.
Macaulay Gillesphey has just curled in a BEAUTIFUL free kick to give Charlton the lead at Wembley 💥👏 pic.twitter.com/Kcp5HDKk5r
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 25, 2025
Dom Smith at Wembley
13:51 , Giuseppe MuroCharlton are right where they want to be: in the lead and having just about shown they have the measure of Leyton Orient. Richie Wellens's side have paid for some poor passes, and for the expert free-kick by Macaulay Gillesphey which beat the Orient wall and goalkeeper Josh Keeley. It's all the separates the teams at the half-way stage.
Half-time: Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
13:50 , Giuseppe MuroCharlton lead at the break.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
13:50 , Giuseppe Muro43 mins: Kelman has not been in this game so far. Can Orient change that? You feel that will be key if they are to get back into this game.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
13:45 , Giuseppe Muro40 mins: Chance for Orient! Agyei cuts in from the right and his left-footed shot is deflected by behind for a corner. The corner is headed wide at the back post by Edmonds-Green.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
13:42 , Giuseppe Muro38 mins: Campbell looking dangerous again, this time running into the box and the left and sending in a cross that Keeley gathers.
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
13:41 , Giuseppe Muro35 mins: There was nothing really between the two teams before that goal. It’s Charlton fans who have been heard inside Wembley now. Can Orient respond?
Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient
13:40 , Giuseppe Muro32 mins: Charlton have gone ahead in 29 games in League One this season. They’ve won 28, draw once and never lost. That sums up the size of the challenge facing Orient now.
Dom Smith at Wembley
13:38That's an outstanding strike from Gillesphey, well worthy of breaking the deadlock in such a monumental match. He bent it round the wall and Keeley could do nothing to prevent a cultured free-kick from finding the net.
GOAL! Charlton 1-0 Leyton Orient | Gillesphey 30’
13:34 , Giuseppe MuroBrilliant free-kick from Gillesphey! Wow. Left-footed, he bends is round the ball and past Keeley. Should the Orient goalkeeper do better there? It wasn’t right in the corner. Still, it’s a brilliant strike from Gillesphey. Advantage Charlton.
28 mins: Good play from Campbell, who runs at the Orient defence and is brought down by Edmonds-Green. Free-kick Charlton, central position, 25 yards out...
Charlton 0-0 Leyton Orient
13:28 , Giuseppe Muro23 mins: Charlton win a free-kick in midfield, giving them a chance to send a ball into the box… but Gillesphey gets it all wrong as he tries to play a clever one and the ball goes straight out of play for an Orient goal kick.
Dom Smith at Wembley
13:26 , Giuseppe MuroExcellent work by Ethan Galbraith to follow Tyreece Campbell all the way down the line there and snuff out the Charlton trickster's chance to cross. All in all, it's been an even game so far.
Charlton 0-0 Leyton Orient
13:26 , Giuseppe Muro21 mins: Brilliant defending from Galbraith against Campbell. Wins the ball then wins the foul.
Charlton 0-0 Leyton Orient
13:24 , Giuseppe Muro19 mins: The first moment of real quality in the attacking third as O'Neil plays a good one-two and his shot is blocked by Small.
Charlton 0-0 Leyton Orient
13:19 , Giuseppe Muro15 mins: It feels like the game needs something to spark it into life. It has been pretty cagey so far, which is understandable given what is at stake.
Charlton 0-0 Leyton Orient
13:17 , Giuseppe Muro12 mins: Galbraith shoots wide from distance. That’s the first shot of the game.
Dom Smith at Wembley
13:15 , Giuseppe MuroAn assured start by Leyton Orient in this game. Having won a couple of corners and tried to break in behind, it's now about settling into a rhythm and building some possession for Wellens' men. But a decent start from them.
Charlton 0-0 Leyton Orient
13:13 , Giuseppe Muro9 mins: A little period of Orient pressure results in a corner, which is gathered by Charlton goalkeeper Mannion.
Charlton 0-0 Leyton Orient
13:11 , Giuseppe Muro6 mins: Orient have started the better of the two teams but there’s some concern with their captain Beckles down. It looks like he just landed awkwardly after an aerial challenge. The referee stops play but Beckles is OK to continue.
Charlton 0-0 Leyton Orient
13:07 , Giuseppe Muro4 mins: Quick feet from Agyei in midfield and Jones brings him down. Orient send a high ball into the Charlton box but it is cleared.
Charlton 0-0 Leyton Orient
13:06 , Giuseppe Muro3 mins: Kelman almost gets in behind the Charlton defence after a ball over the top but Ramsay clears up.
Kick-off!
13:03 , Giuseppe Muro1 mins: Underway at Wembley...
Opta’s supercomputer makes Charlton favourites, with the Addicks winning in 53.7 per cent of simulations and doing so inside 90 minutes 40.6 per cent of the time.
Here come the two teams to a sea of red at Wembley! Charlton are wearing their red home kit, while Orient will be in their grey away strip.
Dom Smith at Wembley
12:52 , Giuseppe MuroGreat atmosphere here at Wembley, as Charlton fans wave their red flags and Orient fans wave their own flags, in a white and red checkered pattern. Real sense of anticipation about what lies ahead for one of these teams next season...
VAR and semi-automated offside technology will be in use today.
Here’s full list of the match officials:
Referee: Andrew Kitchen
Assistant Referees: Blake Antrobus and Shaun Hudson
Fourth Official: David Webb
VAR: Michael Salisbury
Why are the EFL play-off finals kicking off one minute late?
12:44 , Giuseppe MuroAll three matches at Wembley have unusual start times as part of an important campaign.
Read the full details on why here.
Wellens: This is special for Orient
Orient are bidding to return to the second tier of England for the first time in 43 years and Richie Wellens says it is a “special” occasion for the east London club.
In a message his players, Wellens said: “Just enjoy it. I know that people start over-worrying and panicking but leave that to me. I've got a job to do and I've got to make sure the team is prepares.
"It's the biggest ever crowd we've ever played in front of, I think we're taking a brilliant following and Charlton, you expect them to take [a lot of supporters] because they're a huge club.
"This is special for us. We want to be talked about for years to come for this occasion for winning, not just the fact that these players got us to Wembley.
”You want to be remembered for winning things and that's what we aim to do."
Nearly 40,000 Charlton supporters will be inside Wembley this afternoon, while Orient have sold over 30,000 tickets.
Jones: Charlton must look forward
12:24 , Giuseppe MuroCharlton come into the game as favourites but their manager Nathan Jones is adamant his team have to block out the outside noise.
“First and foremost history is history,” said Jones. “We have a history of being a wonderful football club in the Premier League, but also one of being slightly mismanaged in the past.
“But we have to look forward now. What can we achieve and what can we do, we've got a really good set of owners that really want to build something and be here for a while.
"We also have a group of players who have worked hard to be where they are. Now getting out of League One and to the Championship is the next step and we've got one wonderful opportunity to do that at Wembley."
This will be only the third EFL play-off final contested between two teams from London, after Crystal Palace beat West Ham United in 2003-04 and Fulham beat Brentford in 2019-20, both in the second tier.
This afternoon will see two of League One's most prolific goalscorers go head to head.
Charlton’s Matty Godden scored 19 goals in League One, while Orient's on-loan Charlie Kelman got 23.
Kelman finished the season with a flourish, scoring eight in his past eight games, while Godden has five in six.
Team news
12:05 , Giuseppe MuroCharlton XI: Mannion, Ramsay, Jones, Gillesphey, Small, Coventry, Gilbert, Docherty, Edwards, Godden, Campbell
Subs: Maynard-Brewer, Mitchell, Watson, Anderson, Berry, Aneke, Mbick
Leyton Orient XI: Keeley, Galbraith, Beckles, Edmonds-Green, Currie, Brown, Clare, Agyei, Donley, O'Neill, Kelman
Subs: Phillips, James, Happe, Williams, Markanday, Abdulai
The scene is set. Team news on the way shortly from Wembley...
Charlton are here...
Focused 🧠#cafc pic.twitter.com/QEp4G7GMEw
— Charlton Athletic FC (@CAFCofficial) May 25, 2025
These two teams have met three times this season, with each game seeing a stoppage-time winner.
Charlton won both regular season League One matches against Leyton Orient, 1-0 at home and 2-1 away.
But Orient won 2-0 at the Valley in the EFL Trophy.
The Orient squad has arrived at Wembley...
The boys are in the house 🏡#LOFC #OneOrient pic.twitter.com/mB8Rq6xJEL
— Leyton Orient FC (@leytonorientfc) May 25, 2025
Charlton vs Leyton Orient match odds
11:25 , Giuseppe MuroCharlton to be promoted: 8/15
Leyton Orient tto be promoted: 6/4
Odds via Betfair (subject to change)
Charlton vs Leyton Orient stats
11:18 , Giuseppe Muro- Charlton have won each of their three Football League play-off finals. The Addicks have the joint-best 100 per cent success rate in such finals, alongside Peterborough United.
- Leyton Orient have lost their last three Football League play-off finals. This is their first since a penalty defeat against Rotherham United in League One in 2013-14.
- Charlton have won each of their last three major finals played at Wembley, a run starting with the 1947 FA Cup final (1-0 vs Burnley).
- Leyton Orient are winless in three games at Wembley, with two of those being a Football League play-off final (0-1 v Scunthorpe in 1998-99, 2-2 v Rotherham in 2013-14, lost on penalties).
Head to head history and results
11:09 , Giuseppe MuroCharlton wins: 25
Leyton Orient wins: 21
Draws: 11
Prediction
11:01 , Giuseppe MuroLeyton Orient were the form team going into the play-offs, winning their last six games to seal the final top-six spot.
Those wins included crucial victories against fellow play-off contenders Wycombe (1-0) and Huddersfield (4-1), which showed their mettle when the presure intensified.
They battled back from 2-1 down in the first leg of their semi-final against Stockport at Brisbane Road, before they held on at Edgeley Park to take County all the way to spot-kicks in a nervy second leg.
Charlie Kelman, who netted a brace in the first leg to supplement his 21 goals in the regular league season, will be pivotal to their chances of victory at Wembley, and momentum is with them going into Sunday.
As for Charlton, Jones’ side had to bounce back quickly after a 3-0 drubbing at Wrexham on the penultimate day of the campaign, beating Burton 3-1 in the final fixture to return to winning ways ahead of the play-offs.
Matt Godden’s experience came in handy as he notched the winner over two legs against Wycombe, and that could prove vital again here.
Charlton to win, 1-0.
Leyton Orient team news
10:53 , Giuseppe MuroOrient have no fresh injury concerns but are set to be without Dan Happe (leg), Theo Archibald (knee) and Jordan Graham (knee).
Charlton team news
10:45 , Giuseppe MuroCharlton have been sweating over the fitness of Luke Berry, who missed the second leg of their play-off semi-final win against Wycombe.
“He's closer, so we'll just have to see,” said Nathan Jones this week.
How to watch
10:36TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports Football, with coverage starting at 12pm BST.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also stream the game live on Now TV and the Sky Go app.
Good morning!
10:34 , Giuseppe MuroHello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of the League One play-off final!
Charlton and Leyton Orient go head to head for a place in the Championship.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news right here, ahead of kick-off which comes at 1.01pm BST from Wembley.
