Talking points from Millwall’s 1-0 victory over Plymouth – Esse emerges as a matchwinner as boss faces striker start conundrum
edmund@slpmedia.co.uk
Millwall moved up to 13th in the Championship – and four points clear of the relegation zone – with a 1-0 win over Plymouth at The Den on Wednesday night.
Romain Esse’s 13th-minute strike clinched a third home league win of the season.
Here are the talking points from the game.
STRIKER STARTING ROLE VERY MUCH UP FOR GRABS
Lions head coach Neil Harris will have a dilemma about who to start up top at Swansea City on Saturday.
Serbian striker Mihailo Ivanovic was rewarded for his impact in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Derby – when he scored his first goal since his club record move from Vojvodina in the summer transfer window – by being named in the starting 11 for the visit of Argyle.
Despite not having the chance to get a shot off in the first half, the 19-year-old looked to press the Plymouth defence when they were playing out from the back.
He linked up well with Honeyman to create a chance for the former Sunderland attacker shortly after the half-hour mark.
Ivanovic was subbed off in the 77th minute for Macaulay Langstaff after failing to have a real sight of goal.
Ivanovic and Langstaff have the same number of goals to their name now this campaign – one.
This period, with Josh Coburn and Tom Bradshaw sidelined with injuries, is an opportunity for one of the duo to nail down that starting berth. At the moment neither has done that.
ROMAIN ESSE IS SPECIAL
Esse has four goals in all competitions for Millwall and is now developing into a matchwinner for Harris.
On Wednesday the England Elite (U20) international underlined he is the main creative outlet in this side.
He wrestled possession off Bali Mumba and immediately drove at the Plymouth defence. With options either side, he picked out George Honeyman, who instantly played the ball back for the Millwall youngster to finish.
The 19-year-old grew in confidence as the first half went on. He jinked his way past Plymouth bodies in the 23rd minute before firing at goal.
He did the defensive side of the game too – tracking back to win possession on the edge of his own box midway through the first half and drew a foul to relieve the pressure.
Then, moments later, Esse backheeled the ball to Casper De Norre, which took two Plymouth defenders out of the game and set up an another chance.
The Lewisham-born winger continued to show his burgeoning self-assurance, dancing his way past Plymouth defenders and trying to bring a bit of magic to a very rigid side.
AZEEZ DELIVERS BEST MILLWALL PERFORMANCE
With Duncan Watmore dropping out of the squad due to family reasons, Femi Azeez came into the starting 11 for just the second time since arriving from Reading in late August.
The 23-year-old was a handful for Plymouth right-back Joe Edwards in the opening 10 minutes, drawing two fouls with moves down that side of the pitch. He also attempted four tackles in the first 35 minutes, winning two challenges inside his own half.
Azeez continued to have an influence in the second half and set up Honeyman in the 46th minute after linking up well with Esse to drive a low cross into the box.
The 23-year-old had a glorious chance to open his Millwall account in the 51st minute when Japhet Tanganga played a delightful ball over the top of the Plymouth defence for the winger to find himself one-on-one with Daniel Grimshaw.
But despite having two bites of the cherry, Azeez was unable to squeeze his shot beyond the keeper and the retreating defenders.
It was his best performance in a Millwall shirt but he came off in the 70th minute for Ryan Wintle due to cramp.
TANGANGA SHOWS MOMENTS OF PREMIER LEAGUE CLASS
It is very clear when watching Japhet Tanganga that the centre-back has featured numerous times in the Premier League.
The former Tottenham defender made three interceptions in the first half – showing his top-flight ability to read what is going to happen and when to step up to win the ball.
Despite slipping he picked out the perfect chance to send Azeez through – a moment that should have made it 2-0 to Millwall and killed off any prospects of a poor Plymouth side mounting a comeback.
Tanganga kept Ryan Hardie very quiet during his 62 minutes on the pitch, and substitute forward Michael Obafemi, who was on loan with the Lions in the second half of last season, experienced the same problem.
The 25-year-old won four interceptions and completed three clearances to help the Lions record a fourth Championship clean sheet of the season.