Millwall manager Neil Harris: “I won’t judge my players on tonight’s performance and result against a top Fulham side”

BY JAKE SANDERS

Neil Harris said that Fulham are the best team he has seen in the Championship since Wolves in 2017/2018 – but won’t judge his players on tonight given the quality that Scott Parker’s team possess.

A goal in each half from Ivan Cavaleiro plus a first-half header from Anthony Knockaert and a second-half penalty from Aleksandar Mitrovic condemned Millwall to their first defeat of the season – their heaviest in any competition since losing 5-1 at Peterborough United in August 2016.

Fulham, who are one of the favourites for promotion, enjoyed 84.5 per cent possession, the most by any side in the Championship since Opta began full collection of the second-tier in 2013/2014 and made an extraordinary 934 successful passes at Craven Cottage.

“Firstly, congratulations to Fulham. I thought they were magnificent tonight, certainly the best performance I have seen since Wolves got 100 point a couple of years ago top go up,” the Lions boss said. “I think Fulham fans will watch tonight and think what are we doing in this division, we should be in the Premier League. That is down to them.

“But as good as they were, I think we gave them a leg up at times. Not so much the goals we conceded, but the lead up to the goals. When they cut through us, no problem with that. We could have defended slightly better, the last two really hurt me because we gave the ball back cheaply. We got punished and in previous games we have given it away we haven’t been punished. And that is the quality of the level.

“What I have just said to the group is, as much as I am calm about it – I am burning inside and disappointed – but I won’t judge my players on tonight’s performance and result against a top Fulham side because we don’t get up there when we win and we won’t get down there when we are beat 4-0 by Fulham because there will be a lot of teams that come here and get beat 4-0 like we did.

“They caused us the most problems as a team – other than probably Tottenham in the FA Cup quarter-finals – that I have faced during my time in charge.”

PICTURE BY BRIAN TONKS