Here is how the Cardiff City players rated against Charlton Athletic
Alex Smithies 7
Untroubled in the first half and calm with the ball at his feet.
Dion Sanderson 7
Still can look a little frazzled with the ball under his feet under pressure, but the space he affords his team-mates with his bombing runs continues to be a vital asset.
Sean Morrison 7
Solid and dependable. Made one brilliant sliding tackle to stymie a dangerous Charlton attack in the first half.
Curtis Nelson 9 (star man)
Made an incredible block on Andre Green in the first half and was peerless in the air for the entire evening. Made a goal-saving block on Jake Forster-Caskey, too. A big performance from him.
Joe Bennett 8
About as good a Joe Bennett performance as we have seen for some time. Charlton didn't look like creating down his flank and his partnership with Mendez-Laing was bright and will be encouraging moving forward.
Marlon Pack 7
Reintroduced into the side and swept up well at the base of midfield. Josh Cullen was a tricky customer but Pack was always aware of his presence and sought to shut him down.
Leandro Bacuna 7
Continues to win over his detractors. Covers so much ground, is so quick and so effective at both ends of the pitch. Another very solid outing.
Joe Ralls 8
Really growing into this playmaker role in Lee Tomlin's stead. Crisp passing and found himself popping up in the box frequently. Another very good performance from him.
Albert Adomah 6
A frustrating final performance for the winger. Whipped in one dangerous cross but just didn't quite click for him as it has done so often in a Bluebirds shirt.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing 8
He deserved this starting spot and, boy, did he show us. Powerful, pacy, direct with his runs, he looked so hungry for it. The only thing missing was a goal.
Robert Glatzel 6
Some nice hold-up play, but, in truth, struggled really to get in the game before he was hooked just before half time after suffering a nasty head injury.
SUBS
Callum Paterson (on for Glatzel 45) 6
Very few clear-cut opportunities for him to impress himself on the game. As combative as ever but just didn't get the chances.
Lee Tomlin (on for Bacuna 65) 7
Certainly added a verve to the City attack. His clever passes opened up the defence on more than one occasion.
Junior Hoilett (on for Mendez-Laing 65) 6
Just not his night. Missed a golden opportunity to put City ahead and misplaced a couple of passes as Cardiff tried to force the issue.
