‘That was a pleasure to be a part of’ – Millwall boss has praise for fans and his team after 1-0 win over Norwich

Millwall head coach Joe Edwards described it as “a brilliant night” as they came out on top in a pulsating Championship clash at The Den.

The Lions have ended 2023 on a high after back-to-back league victories at The Den – prevailing 1-0 tonight over Norwich City.

Millwall have also kept three clean sheets in a row for the first time in a year – Matija Sarkic last conceding in the 1-1 draw against Huddersfield Town on December 16.

The winner came in the first half, Tom Bradshaw slid in to convert Brooke Norton-Cuffy’s low cross from the right wing. Replays showed that it could have been a tight call for offside – but there is no VAR in the Championship.

Angus Gunn’s saves kept Norwich in the contest. He denied Zian Flemming just before the break and also tipped over a powerful attempt by Aidomo Emakhu before pushing away substitute Ryan Longman’s curling effort from the edge of the box.

The finale was made more nervy by the straight red card shown to midfielder George Saville for a tactical foul on Jon Rowe that took place inside the City half.

Referee Dean Whitestone decided the offence merited a dismissal – it bore a striking resemblance to the straight red that Jed Wallace picked up for a similar offence against Burton Albion in 2017.

But Whitestone was far more lenient with Norwich striker Ashley Barnes. The frontman was booked for hauling over Jake Cooper in the box as the pair tangled in the penalty area and then took no further action when Barnes continued to show his frustration as he clashed with Saville and George Honeyman. Moments later David Wagner subbed Barnes off.

Millwall also looked to have a strong shout for a penalty in the 52nd minute, Norwich defender Ben Gibson appearing to use his arm to block a ball.

“That was a pleasure to be part of,” said Edwards. “That was one of the big objectives when I joined the club – I was aware of the form and the results (at the Den). That leads to the feeling not being what it should be and what we wanted it to be at The Den.

“It was one of the big objectives, to put it right. It’s taken a bit longer than we would’ve liked but now back to back wins. I said we want a certain atmosphere and energy from the fans but it is absolutely our responsibility as a team to create that.

“Although there were spells Norwich had lengthy possession, I think the fans could see from the off that our attitude and desire was there from the off – they fed off it. It was very difficult for Norwich to play and then when it gets heated in the second half it kicks everyone on even more.

“For sure when we go down to 10 and we’ve got to ride it out the fans were massive in us doing that. It was a brilliant night for us.

“I’ve spoken to so many players and coaches since I’ve joined Millwall that everyone can recollect a time they came to The Den and Millwall away is not a nice fixture that people look forward to playing in. That’s how we want it to feel. We want to add an element of quality and control when we have possession of the ball but we don’t want to do that at the cost of having that fight and aggression, in how we play and how we defend, that also comes from the stands – because it is a force.

“I would massively credit the players. I would be one to point out a few weeks ago when we were in the middle of a tough run of performances and results that there were moments we were creating half chances but the final decision or final end product wasn’t of enough quality and it was costing us.

“The last couple of games there has been a lot of quality at key moments. Norwich have come and had a fair amount of the ball, more than us, which we knew. We had a plan of how we were going to defend and frustrate them. But we also had a plan how we could hurt them, going the other way.

“It is the second home game where the visitors have dominated the possession but our goalkeeper has not really had a save to make.

“It was a high-quality goal and then we have Zian Flemming’s big chance saved. Brooke Norton-Cuffy’s header was a big chance at the end of a 20-pass passage. We have Ryan Longman’s chance near the end, so we have done a lot more going forward than the opponent has, despite all their dominance.

“It was a very rounded performance by us.”