The lowdown on Millwall 2 Portsmouth 1 – Ivanovic the star man as Lions secure late victory at Den

Mihailo Ivanovic shone with a brace as Millwall secured all three points over Portsmouth thanks to an 87th-minute winner in a 2-1 win over Portsmouth at The Den.

Here is Mitchell Hall’s lowdown on the match.

THE LINE-UPS

Millwall: Jensen, Bryan, Cooper, Tanganga (Leonard 43), Crama, Connolly (Emakhu 82), Saville (Mitchell 82), De Norre, Honeyman, Coburn (Langstaff 82), Ivanovic. Subs not used: Evans, Wallace, Wintle, Cundle, Harding.

Portsmouth: Schmid, Bramall (Pack 69), Ogilvie, Poole, Williams (Saydee 69), Dozzell, Potts, Murphy, Devlin (Waddingham 89), Ritchie (Blair 69), Bishop. Subs not used: Archer, Gordon, Aouchiche, Milosevic, Hayden.

SNAPSHOT OF THE GAME

Millwall took the game to their opponents in the early stages as they dominated possession and kept Portsmouth penned in their own half. The Lions could not capitalise on the pressure and their dominance soon faded into dull rhythm. The fans livened up as Matt Ritchie and Joe Bryan exchanged words after the former left a foot in on the Millwall full-back. It was probably not a coincidence when Bryan was scythed down soon after by Terry Devlin, who received a yellow card. The biggest moment of the half came when Japhet Tanganga dropped to his knees near his box, requiring treatment that would see him subbed off with his arm in a sling just before half-time.

Millwall started the second half as strongly as the first. They broke through in the 57th minute as George Honeyman’s corner delivery was glanced goalwards by Mihailo Ivanovic and into the far bottom corner. Portsmouth came firing back immediately however, leading to chaos in the Millwall box as they failed to clear after blocking shot after shot. The visitors reaped the rewards as a low shot from Andre Dozzell somehow squeezed under the keeper, through two sets of legs and into the goal for the equaliser. The atmosphere was souring in the ground as a loose ball came to Casper De Norre on the right wing, with the Belgian lifting his head up and curling a perfect delivery into the danger zone, where it was met emphatically by Ivanovic for his second of the game.

TACTICAL APPROACH

Alex Neil named three changes from the side that lost to Sunderland last Saturday. The backline remained unchanged, with the biggest changes coming in Millwall’s injury-stricken attacking department. Ivanovic replaced Aidomo Emakhu, with Aaron Connolly shifting to the left wing to allow the Serb to form a front two with Josh Coburn. Billy Mitchell dropped to the bench in favour of George Saville, and Honeyman replaced Luke Cundle on the right side of midfield.

Millwall set up in a 4-4-2 shape but with Connolly and Honeyman making for unconventional wide men in this system, there was an increased responsibility on Tristan Crama and Bryan to get forward in wide areas. Honeyman, especially, drifted into more central areas in possession with Crama taking up the space he left behind. Tanganga’s early withdrawal meant Ryan Leonard was introduced at right-back, with Crama moving into central defence.

STAR MAN

Mihailo Ivanovic. His heroics made this an easy decision. His prowess in the air is a huge part of his game and he really showed it off today, placing two very different but equally impressive headers away. His partnership with Coburn was excellent throughout the game as he chased down his partner’s flick-ons and made sure he was always available for a cross. When those crosses came in he used them to change the game, exactly what Alex Neil would have hoped for from his targetman.

MOAN OF THE MATCH

While the home crowd’s boos (and rarer sarcastic cheers) towards the referee’s every decision were blown out of proportion, the fans were right in that his use of the whistle was often overzealous. Half-contacts were given as fouls and even the standard jostling while waiting for corners to be delivered was heavily marshalled by the official. It never came off as biased as some fans may have felt, but it was frustrating in a game that was already struggling to find its tempo.

Tanganga’s withdrawal is a crushing blow to Millwall’s hopes of reeling in the play-off frontrunners. The centre-back has been one of the best across the division this campaign in his position. If he is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines it is sure to cost the club points. He is just the latest in a slew of recent injuries that Neil has had to contend with, but few have been as irreplaceable as Tanganga has in the heart of defence.

“We deserved to win the game, if they left with anything that would not have been a fair reflection of the match. We were really dominant in the first half without getting the goal we probably deserved. They had one chance but, in the main, three quarters of the game was played in their half.

“When we scored we more than deserved to be in the lead at that point. All in all it was really pleasing.”

PICTURES: BRIAN TONKS