MK Dons missed the chance to move further clear of the League One relegation zone after a 1-0 home defeat to Charlton.
Jack Payne struck the winner to condemn the Dons to their first defeat in eight games and leave them three points above the drop zone with three matches remaining.
Both teams struggled for fluency in the first half, with MK Dons forward Jonathan Leko coming closest when his shot from outside the box was tipped onto the post by Ashley Maynard-Brewer.
A terrific driving run down the left by Zak Jules three minutes after the restart led to him picking out Mo Eisa, whose shot was pushed away by the alert Maynard-Brewer.
It took until the 56th minute for Charlton to have their first shot on target when Steven Sessegnon's swerving strike from distance needed beating away by Jamie Cumming.
But he had no chance when Payne broke the deadlock on the hour mark by whipping a superb finish into the far corner from Jesurun Rak-Sakyi's lay-off, ensuring the Addicks bounced back from Saturday's 6-0 defeat at Ipswich.