A perfect start, even this early in a season, matters because it changes the conversation.
Promotion pushes are often built on habits before they are built on headlines. Keeping shape, surviving pressure and taking big moments are the traits that travel through a long campaign. If Charlton are doing that already, they will be taken seriously.
The report says Castellanos missed a late penalty, and that detail lands heavily because those moments define the immediate verdict.
For West Ham, it appears to be another reminder that control alone is never enough. In the Championship, games can turn on one box entry, one set-piece, one lapse, one finish.
That is why attention appears to be swinging toward Nuno Espirito Santo. Managers at clubs with top-end expectations are rarely judged only on process; they are judged on whether the team looks clear, resilient and clinical when the heat arrives. A derby defeat at home, especially against a side making such a sharp start, inevitably raises questions.
The next round now feels important for both clubs: Charlton will try to turn momentum into a genuine early statement, while West Ham need a response before this storyline grows louder.