There are countless ways to win a football match, and Charlton Athletic's 1–0 triumph at Middlesbrough was a shining example of the most stubborn kind.
Against a side that had swept aside QPR and Birmingham City, scoring four and three goals respectively in recent weeks, Nathan Jones' men produced a defensive masterclass of grit and structure.
Middlesbrough may have enjoyed 78% possession and rained down 34 attempts on goal, but it was Charlton who left Teesside with the points — and another clean sheet.
It came courtesy of Conor Coady, exuding authority throughout, who prodded home from Harry Clarke's long throw-in – a set-piece routine also used to outstanding effect in Charlton's home win over Birmingham last time out.
Jones fielded a notably weakened side, rotating his rearguard ahead of Saturday's early kick-off at Oxford United, yet the organisation never wavered.
Stand-ins Keenan Gough and Macaulay Gillesphey put in tireless shifts before making way for Kayne Ramsay and Amari'i Bell, while Will Mannion continued to deputise superbly between the sticks.
For assistant manager Curtis Fleming, it was an emotional return to the Riverside, where he made 266 appearances as a player and gained promotion with them to the Premier League in 1994-95.
For Jones, it was another vindication of his meticulous preparation and tactical clarity.
He famously loves a clean sheet – the Addicks now have 13 this term, complementing the 26 that propelled them through last season's play-offs.
The boss admitted afterwards, tongue firmly in cheek, that "every time we had the ball, we gave it away, so we were better off without it."
His team, however, displayed fierce concentration and willpower, frustrating Kim Hellberg's Boro into submission.
The victory lifted Charlton within touching distance of the 50-point mark and left the travelling fans – whom Jones jokingly said "need their heads testing" for the midweek trek north – grinning all the way home.
Results like this don't just keep the Addicks safe; they remind the Championship that Charlton Athletic are very much alive, organised, and believing again.
Up the Addicks.
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