MILLWALL were mauled by Ipswich Town on a disappointing and one-sided evening at Portman Road.
The league table will tell you that The Tractor Boys are the far superior side and they continue to be good bets for automatic promotion with their array of attacking talent.
But, particularly in a first half that saw Millwall go 3-0 down, questions will be asked by fans at the manner of the performance.
When Ipswich turned it on, the tame Lions had no answer as they suffered their first defeat away from home since August.
That loss also came in East Anglia when Norwich City completely outclassed the Lions, much to the fury of the away fans.
Travelling supporters on this cold, foggy, November night at Portman Road would have also been unhappy at the ease in which Conor Chaplin and Massimo Luongo both scored after 12 minutes before Nathan Broadhead added a third after 39 minutes. Kevin Nisbet grabbed a late consolation goal off the bench.
As impressive as Ipswich were, they also did not seem to have to exert themselves particularly hard against a Millwall defence that did not feature Jake Cooper in the starting line-up for the first time in 59 league games, as he was benched for the fully-fit Shaun Hutchinson.
Ipswich had conceded in the opening 15 minutes of all their last five league games but this time it was them making the fast start for a change. Conor Chaplin, who ran most of this game, got Millwall’s nightmare start going after five minutes.
Wes Burns beat Ryan Longman down the right and lifted a cross towards the back post. George Hirst headed down for Chaplin who smashed a ferocious left-footed volley into the net.
Millwall had barely gathered themselves by the time the second goal came after 12 minutes.
Ipswich were sharp and precise in possession but the away side gave them far too much time and respect with the ball shifted right to Burns for the start of this goal.
He swept the ball back inside the box, Chaplin spun and nudged the ball to Luongo who took a touch before striking a sweet left-footed shot around Casper De Norre and into the corner.
While few excuses will be made for Millwall’s limitations on the night, Ipswich are a skilled attacking team who get the ball to the halfway line and spring to life. Whether they are knocking the ball over the top or playing a short-passing game on the edge of an opponent’s box, they are supremely effective.
It was almost 3-0 within a quarter of an hour when Bartosz Bialkowski, up against his former club, had to tip Hirst’s effort over the bar.
That was the last chance of the early onslaught and for 10 minutes or so, Millwall looked something close to a proper football team.
Brooke Norton-Cuffy provided their first effort of the game when he dribbled into the box and forced Vaclav Hladky into a save at his near post, courtesy of a deflection.
De Norre, meanwhile, had begun his own mission to try and revive Millwall, popping the ball about and trying to inject some energy and hope into the team.
But it would soon be 3-0. Not after 26 minutes when the Lions lost possession on the halfway line and Burns smashed the post from inside the box.
Instead, the third goal came when full-back Leif Davis was released down the left. He then sent in an expert cross which hung perfectly in the air for Broadhead to head home five minutes before the break.
The goal marked the sixth time this season in all competitions Millwall have gone 3-0 down during a game, far surpassing the one time that happened throughout the entirety of last season.
The task for the second half, realistically, was to stop any further embarrassment after such an underwhelming and casual first 45.
George Honeyman was subbed on for Aidomo Emakhu at half-time and looked to set the tone immediately for a more resilient second half as he flew in on Broadhead less than 90 seconds after his arrival, earning a booking in the process.
A small scrap ensued on the touchline with Ipswich players unhappy at the tackle. It was the first time in the game Millwall had inconvenienced their opponents in any meaningful way. Honeyman was then very lucky not to get a second yellow when he went in late on Luongo later in the half.
Otherwise, it was a largely uneventful 45 minutes as Ipswich took their foot off the gas and Millwall went into damage limitation mode.
The Lions managed to grab a consolation goal with 12 minutes to go as Nisbet, off the bench for Bradshaw, deftly flicked home from close range after a Longman cross. It’s his first goal since early September and his third in total for the club.
The hosts had made a quadruple change a few minutes before the goal as they replaced their entire attacking line, prompting fears that the men in blue might get going again.
But the Lions did a far better job of containing the replacements than they did the likes of Burns, Chaplin and Broadhead. But Bialkowski was needed with a few minutes to go to make two brilliant saves seconds apart to deny subs Dane Scarlett and Marcus Harness.
Joe Edwards will have plenty of questions for his team after Millwall suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time since August.
A far more improved performance will be needed at home against Sunderland on Saturday.
–
Ipswich: 4-2-3-1: Hladky; Clarke, Tuanzebe, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Luongo (Taylor 69′); Burns (Jackson 69′), Chaplin (Hutchinson 69′), Broadhead (Harness 69′); Hirst (Scarlett 69′)
Millwall: 3-4-2-1: Bialkowski; Harding, Hutchinson (c), Wallace; Norton-Cuffy, De Norre (Mitchell 61′), Saville (Campbell 78′), Longman; Emakhu (Honeyman 46′), Flemming (Leonard 70′); Bradshaw (Nisbet 61′).
Referee: Thomas Bramall
Attendance: 27,702