Gary Rowett felt his Millwall team ‘gifted’ goals to Sunderland

Gary Rowett accused his Millwall side of “gifting” easy goals to Sunderland in today’s 3-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light.

The Lions dropped out of the Championship top six despite no other fixtures being played, the dent to their goal difference moving QPR above them.

Amad Diallo, Alex Pritchard and Ellis Simms scored for Sunderland in the second half as the South Londoners were punished for not taking opportunities of their own in an opening 45 minutes where they were on top.

Millwall manager Rowett said: “Yeah, disappointing. I’m disappointed because I thought we were the better side in the first 45 minutes. Sunderland have got the type of players that can get into those little pockets – Pritchard and Diallo. Clarke tends to stay a bit wider but he caused us one or two problems for 10 or 15 minutes.

“The best chances, by far, fell to us in the first half. Tom Bradshaw heads it over the keeper and if he just gets it another yard in the corner I don’t think Danny Batth gets there. Zian has that chance just before half time where he reads the goalkeeper’s intentions, hits it first time and it goes an inch wide. George Honeyman has a good chance – great block by one of their defenders. Coops has an overhead kick that the goalkeeper does well to save.

“If you look at the big moments as an away team, I was quite encouraged by the first half performance. But what you can’t do in this division is give away the first goal easily. You can’t allow the home team to get a bit of a gift, really, and go 1-0 up. We had a chance to clear the first goal. They end up getting a bit of a fortunate break, where Pritchard ends up in a position where they have got two-v-one in the box. We should deal with it better.

“The second goal, Pritchard just wriggles past two of our players on the edge of the box – we have to work our feet quicker and get closer. I don’t know if Longy is unsighted but I think he’ll be a bit disappointed he didn’t save it.

“The third goal can’t be described any other way than an absolute joke from our perspective.

“The first goal gave Sunderland and their fans that little bit of a lift and then they went with it. For 10 or 15 minutes after that they caused us problems all over the pitch.

“I was really pleased with the first 45 but the first 45 is halfway in a game and that is all it is.

“We have conceded very poor goals. It is reminiscent of our early season away form when we were gifting goals to other teams and they then have gained the confidence from it.

“The only positive for us is that we’ve had a game out of the way, so hopefully by the time everyone else plays there really is no excuses.”