Nigeria international Arthur Okonkwo has credited his Charlton Athletic teammates with showing resilience after the club fought out a goalless draw against Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday night.

The result marked a sharp turnaround in form following Charlton's 4-0 hammering at the hands of Stoke City the previous weekend. Okonkwo himself was central to the positive outcome, producing two standout saves to keep his clean sheet intact.

A response when it was needed

Okonkwo was candid in his assessment of an encounter that tested Charlton's defensive organisation throughout. "We knew it was going to be difficult, but I thought the boys dug in well, especially after last week, and we defended really well," he told the club's media.

The goalkeeper acknowledged that some refereeing decisions went against Charlton in the first half, but he refused to let that overshadow the collective effort. "A clean sheet against a really good side is always good, and we look to Saturday now," he added.

Jones demanded a defensive reaction

Okonkwo revealed that manager Nathan Jones had set clear expectations before kick-off, urging his squad to produce a far more disciplined defensive display than the one that unravelled against Stoke.

"That was the manager's message before the game. He wanted to see a reaction from us defensively," the goalkeeper said. "The game against Stoke — we had some decisions against us as well, which set us back, but there's no excuse for how we defended at times."

He was satisfied with how his side responded under pressure. "Today was a good reaction. We stayed strong, defended our box really well, and we were able to get a clean sheet. Would have liked to have won, but that's football."

Attention turns to Portsmouth

Charlton now shift their focus to their next Championship fixture, an encounter with Portsmouth where Jones will hope his side can carry Wednesday's defensive solidity into an attacking performance capable of securing three points.