Talking points from Portsmouth 0 Millwall 1 – Lions’ cubs deliver at Fratton Park as debutant keeper has comfortable evening
Millwall booked their second round spot in the EFL Cup with a 1-0 win at Portsmouth on Tuesday night.
Here are Richard Cawley’s talking points from the match.
TRUST IN YOUTH PAYS OFF
Lions head coach Neil Harris made six changes to his side and that included a debut for 18-year-old central midfielder Alfie Massey.
The youngster, promoted to the senior squad in pre-season, showed no nerves and turned in a solid display until he was replaced by George Saville in the 65th minute.
It was a night when the club’s younger players stepped up well.
Romain Esse produced a classy and calm finish to put Millwall ahead in the 13th minute after excellent work by George Honeyman to win the ball off Jordan Williams on the edge of the Pompey penalty area.
Esse picked out the perfect pass in the second half to find the unmarked Honeyman, but his first-time strike was kept out by keeper Luke Norris.
Aidomo Emakhu, who made a positive impact off the bench in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Watford, put in a hard-working shift on the right wing and attempted the most tackles (10) in the match.
WELL-CONSTRUCTED WALL
Millwall have largely been excellent defensively since Harris returned in late February and were back to their best in that regard at Fratton Park.
The Lions conceded a couple of really poor goals against the Hornets but Portsmouth did not have a shot on target.
The hosts did ramp up the pressure in the second half but their xG (expected goals) from open play was just 0.15 – their threat from set-pieces pushing their total to 0.92.
Terry Devlin instantly celebrated when he met a near-post corner but the ball ended up in the side-netting. It was the only real heart-in-mouth moment for Millwall.
Summer signing Liam Roberts, handed his debut in goal on the South Coast with Lukas Jensen dropping to the bench, had very little to do.
After a shaky last two outings from Jensen, in particular Edo Kayembe’s corner going directly in for Watford’s opening goal, it will be interesting to see which stopper starts at Bristol City tomorrow.
CUP PROGRESSION AT LAST
Millwall made first round exits in the previous two seasons but Esse’s third senior goal – and first of the new campaign – took them through.
It is not a competition that the Lions have made a priority although they have reached the third round three times since 2018. The only drawback is that Millwall’s squad lacks depth – something Harris has been quick to state in recent weeks – with injuries and a lack of transfer activity meaning wholesale rotation was never going to be an option.
The boss chose to only name eight players on his bench in midweek – instead of nine – and that included academy players in Tom Leahy and Kyle Smith.
This was Millwall’s first away victory in the EFL Cup since a 3-1 success at Crawley Town in September 2020.
Here’s hoping for a tasty tie when the draw is made this evening. Honeyman said post-match he would like a derby against West Ham or Crystal Palace. Any Premier League club at The Den would add spice and interest to a tournament that has lost pulling power in recent times.
PICTURES: BRIAN TONKS