‘We did enough to win two games of football’ – Millwall boss Harris talks in more detail about Watford loss

Millwall head coach Neil Harris has talked in more detail after Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Watford.

The Lions looked as if they were in the ascendency after Duncan Watmore’s brace pulled them level in the closing stages of the Championship opener at The Den.

But then substitute Mileta Rajovic headed in a clincher for the Hornets after Tom Dele-Bashiru’s shot was deflected as George Saville made a blocking challenge.

Both of Watford’s first two goals were soft. Edo Kayembe scored directly from a corner as Millwall keeper Lukas Jensen failed to deal with the delivery and then Giorgi Chakvetadze powered home a 30-yard free-kick.

“On reflection, my initial reaction with disappointment in the aftermath and the heat of the moment after the game was correct.

“I was disappointed we lost the game, it was a game we didn’t deserve to lose. I understand football doesn’t always work in a fair manner. But we were by far the better team and played extremely well in spells – certainly between 30 and 45 minutes and then in the majority of the second half.

“Goals change games, or key moments change games and ultimately we gave a couple of really poor goals away to go two behind and the third goal is just really unlucky.

“It does look like he is offside, when you watch it back – again that hasn’t gone our way.

“In the first half it is a clear penalty on Duncan which doesn’t go our way. So there were individual errors, key moments and officiating decisions cost us but that is part and parcel of football.

“I’d rather win a game of football than talk about the process and how we have improved. I think everybody could see it was a strong performance in possession and out of possession, with shape etc. But we can’t be that good and then fall short in both boxes because ultimately we did enough to win two games of football on Saturday.

“To only score two goals was disappointing – it could’ve been more. And also to be a successful Millwall team, as we were last season and have been in the past, we certainly can’t be making basic individual errors that cost us goals.”

PICTURE: PA