Millwall boss admits his side need more of a cutting edge after Den reverse to Reading

Millwall manager Gary Rowett admitted his side paid the price for a lack of cutting edge as they lost 1-0 to Reading today.

The Royals moved top of the Championship table with former Charlton defender Naby Sarr heading the only goal early in the first half.

The South Londoners had won five in a row in the league at home coming into the contest.

“We started brightly and put them under a lot of pressure early on,” said Rowett. “You can’t keep coming back and finding solutions in games when you’re behind. We’ve scored the first goal only in the Stoke game in six league games and one cup game – this division is defined by that a lot of the time.

“Reading has some spells where they moved the ball quite well but ultimately they have been playing a way, they did the same against Middlesbrough and other ones, where they play 5-3-2, sit in and made it really tough. They haven’t had loads of possession in the games but they’ve been really resilience. They picked a biggish team putting Sarr in and McIntyre at left-back to potentially cope with our set-piece and physicality.

“What you don’t expect at that point, after starting so well, is to concede a really poor set-piece after 14 minutes.

“First half we huffed and puffed a little bit and came away from what we are trying to do. We got a little bit edgy and frantic. We didn’t move the ball with enough composure and just started to force things.

“I nearly changed it at half-time but our home form has been really good and there was no real need to massive change what we’ve been doing. The three players who came on [early in the second period] made a big difference. We were a lot more creative and got in better areas. We just couldn’t find that moment that changes the game at The Den.

“Reading sat in and defended very resiliently. They could’ve had a couple of breakaways where we just go chasing it a little bit and are too open.”

Millwall did have the ball in Joe Lumley’s in the 66th minute but it was disallowed.

“I think Benik gets a touch and it’s probably offside,” said Rowett. “The officials said Benik was offside from the initial ball in, which he wasn’t. I’m not quite sure what they were seeing there. I’ve got no complaints about that necessarily.

“We had one where Vogey looks like he’s about to score and the lad comes steaming across and makes a last-ditch tackle. We have a couple of moments in the first half, does Bradders get pushed out of the way in the box? The ref gives a similar one down in the bottom corner. He said: ‘One’s in the box and one is not. I’ve got no idea what is a foul anymore.

“We’ve got to be better breaking Reading down. Second half performance was far more encouraging but ultimately we couldn’t find the goal that changes the game.”