Mason Bennett praised by Lions boss Rowett for his role in victorious return to Pride Park

Gary Rowett heaped praise on Millwall attacker Mason Bennett and labelled him as “fantastic” on his return to Pride Park.

The 25-year-old left the Rams in January 2020 to join the Lions on loan, before signing on a permanent deal seven months later.

Bennett’s pace and power was too hot to handle for the Derby defence and the ball eventually fell to Tyler Burey for Millwall’s second goal of the evening.

Rowett said: “Mase did fantastic. He has had a bit of stick [on returning to Pride Park], which I am sure he would have expected, but what he has done is answer it in a good way which is on the football pitch, and showed his quality.

“He could have gone down for a penalty but showed a real honesty to stay on his feet and couldn’t quite get his shot off, and then young Tyler is there to finish it off.

“It is a tough place to come. Derby have done incredible this season when it would have been very easy to be de-motivated but the players, a young team, Wayne Rooney, a young manager, staff who are enthusiastic, and they have been brilliant.

“First half we had to get our game plan right. We pressed really well in good areas, we worked very hard at working out some of their patterns because some of them are very unusual in the way their midfielders roll out into wide areas and the way the full back pushes really high to occupy your five, but I thought we did it really well.

“We felt we could just transition in behind those areas where the full backs just leave the spaces. We have got no centre-forward at the moment, really, but we have got three quick, mobile forward players and I thought first half you saw that.

“We scored with a good free kick, I think Mason [Bennett] just takes the keeper’s eye away from the ball and it ends up in the far corner.

“Tyler [Burey] then should really score with a good transition, Mase could have scored with another transition, and then we end up scoring with Tyler.”