Bournemouth are deadly enough – without Millwall offering them up a couple of very soft goals

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

It’s never a promising sign when the first note you make from a Millwall perspective is a half-time substitution. Especially when they are trailing 3-0 by that point.

Some sides have possession with no end product. But Bournemouth had both in Wednesday night’s 4-1 win. Not only did they complete more than double Millwall’s 235 passes but they also had 14 efforts on goal.

And it so very easily could have been an even heavier defeat for the Lions against Jonathan Woodgate’s razor-sharp technicians, who have scored 21 goals in a seven-match winning run in the Championship.

When up against such a potent opponent, you can’t afford to gift them soft goals. But that is exactly what Millwall did for the two they conceded in the opening half-hour.

Club captain Alex Pearce was bullied and dominated by Dominic Solanke during a torrid opening 45 minutes before he was replaced by Connor Mahoney at the interval, boss Gary Rowett switching to 4-4-2.

But by then a significant and irreparable amount of damage had been done.

Solanke used his strength to fend off Pearce’s attempts to win a header before George Evans’ airkick allowed Philip Billing to advance and deftly dink past Bartosz Bialkowski.

Bournemouth were breaking the Millwall lines with the regularity of waves crashing on a beach. And that is where all of Rowett’s squad must have been wishing they were when Arnaut Danjuma made it 2-0.

It actually came from a Millwall corner. The Cherries’ press forced the ball back to Pearce, who played a poor straight pass into the hands of Asmir Begovic. He expertly topped his kick down the middle for the Dutch attacker to do the rest.

Solanke was involved again for the third goal. He controlled a ball to feet before spinning to slip David Brooks through. The winger drove inside Evans and slapped his shot into the bottom corner of the net.

Jed Wallace did reduce the arrears early in the second half. Steve Cook’s attempt to clear a Scott Malone cross only teed up a shooting chance for Millwall’s top-scorer, who moved into double figures.

Brooks was needed to clear a Billy Mitchell backheel off his goal-line but by that stage it was 4-1. Solanke and Billing popped the ball between them – drawing out flat-footed markers – with the former slotting past Bialkowski.

There were let-offs for the Lions. Solanke somehow contrived to miss an open goal from four yards out, Diego Rico putting a chance on a plate for the former Liverpool striker.

And Brooks also saw an effort come off the inside of the post and back into play.

“We got handed a lesson tonight, which we haven’t too many times this season,” said Rowett.

“We got a little glimpse of what that next level looks like, and it’s something for us to work towards.

“It is a game where you have to match Bournemouth physically and get close enough to them. I knew the team I put out was just a little bit athletically compromised in some areas, which would be hard against a team like Bournemouth.

“But I hoped we could cope with it – we couldn’t. We didn’t get close enough to them.”

It doesn’t get any easier for Millwall. Saturday’s opponents Watford are the only team that can match Bournemouth’s 25-point haul over the past 10 matches, and should nail down the second automatic promotion spot.

STAR MAN
Philip Billing. Only two players had more than his 85 touches. A powerhouse display as well as collecting a goal and an assist.

BEST MOMENT
Had to be Jed Wallace’s goal on an evening when Millwall were largely left chasing red-and-black striped marauding raiders in SE16.