Millwall see strong penalty appeal turned down as they lose 2-1 at Blackburn Rovers
BY DANIEL MARSH
Millwall were left pointless at Blackburn Rovers after falling to a late Adam Armstrong goal in a 2-1 defeat at Ewood Park.
Harvey Elliott broke the deadlock in the 25th minute, before Scott Malone fired back for the Lions 10 minutes later. Armstrong struck at the death for Blackburn to snatch all the points.
The opening goal came for the hosts midway through the opening half, albeit against the run of play.
Rovers hit Millwall on the break, with Armstrong driving through the heart of the Lions midfield before easing the ball to Elliott on the right-hand side of the box. The Liverpool loanee casually bent an excellent strike beyond the reach of Bart Bialkowski to nudge Blackburn into the lead.
Millwall responded well though, with Jed Wallace seeing two shots blocked inside the area in quick succession by the Rovers defence, who survived a penalty shout in the process.
But the Lions deservedly drew level in the 35th minute. A nice piece of interplay between Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Wallace saw the latter burst through the middle of the pitch. He knocked the ball to Malone, who thumped a great strike in off the bar from the edge of the area to finish a ruthless Millwall break.
Both sides had their moments in an open second half, with Armstrong wasting a good chance for the hosts before Bodvarsson was denied well by the legs of Thomas Kaminski.
Tyrhys Dolan replaced the injured Ben Brereton on the hour and he caused the Lions backline issues, going close on a couple of occasions after sneaking in behind.
Troy Parrott came close to opening his Millwall account with the visitors’ best chance in the second half, but his drive from the edge of the box was deflected up and over Kaminski’s crossbar.
But Rovers stole the points late in the day after Ryan Woods surrendered possession cheaply in the middle of the park. The ball eventually fell to Armstrong in the box, who’s deflected strike bounced up and agonisingly beyond Bialkowski.
The hosts survived a late Millwall flurry, including what looked a stonewall penalty shout, but ultimately the Lions were left frustrated as their winless run was extended to seven games.
PHOTOS: SEAN GOSLING