Richard Cawley’s big-match verdict on Millwall’s 2-1 defeat to Blackburn – Den is not living up to ‘tough place to go’ boss comments
There are plenty of opposition managers who trot out the well-worn line that The Den is “a tough place to go” but results tend to suggest otherwise.
Millwall’s 2-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday night was their fourth Championship reverse in SE16 and means they have averaged a point per game from seven matches there in the 2023-24 season.
Callum Brittain’s superb finish early in the second half proved decisive as the Lions lost at home for the eighth time this year – the last time they were beaten more was 11 defeats in 2015, a period which saw them relegated to League One.
Millwall have struggled to neutralise possession-based sides with 3-0 defeats to Swansea City and Leeds United.
Blackburn, another set up to neatly build and play out from the back, also caused plenty of problems as the hosts’ press was often easily bypassed.
The Lions started assertively and were gifted a third minute goal. Wes Harding’s header looked a routine piece of goalkeeping for Leopold Wahlstedt but instead it was as if the ball had been liberally drizzled with baby oil as it squirmed between his legs.
What has happened too often at The Den is that a positive start by the hosts has failed to be maintained or built on.
The impressive Brittain and Joe Rankin-Costello combined down the right with the latter’s shot squeezing past Bart Bialkowski.
At first glance it looked as if the Millwall keeper should have made the save, replays showed that there might have been a slight deflection off Harding’s leg.
The Lions had the double whammy of Joe Bryan hobbling off injured as well as conceding again, Brittain cutting inside of Aidomo Emakhu and whipping a fine finish past Bialkowski.
Millwall finished with a superior xG (expected goals) of 1.80 – compared to Rovers’ 1.11 – but that didn’t feel a total reflection of the way the second period panned out.
Bialkowski saved with his legs from Blackburn sub Andrew Moran and also just about got enough of a hand to a Sammie Szmodics strike to divert the ball on to his crossbar.
The Lions did have their moments and sustained pressure – a sliding Harding going close to doubling his tally while a Romain Esse header dropped narrowly wide – but Rovers held on.
Millwall have won one of their last 16 league matches against Blackburn, losing 10 of them.
This wasn’t anywhere near as crushing as the 4-3 defeat on the final day of last season that devastatingly KO’d the Lions’ hopes of the play-offs. But they need to fix their home form soon if they want to stand a chance of a top-six challenge again this time around.
STAR MAN
Casper De Norre. Made the most passes (10) into the final third of any player on the pitch.
BEST MOMENT
Wes Harding’s first goal in a Millwall shirt.
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