MILLWALL’S season came to an end at The Den after suffering a 4-3 defeat at home to Blackburn Rovers.
The Lions knew that a win would be enough to get them into the play-offs and they started well, with Duncan Watmore scoring early on to give them the lead. Adam Wharton’s long-range strike levelled the scores, but two mistakes saw Watmore and Oliver Burke capitalise to make it 3-1 at the break.
Gary Rowett’s men started to crack when they conceded five minutes after the restart and the scores were soon tied just after the hour-mark. Then, with three minutes on the clock, Ben Brereton Diaz wrapped up the win as Millwall missed out on a top-six finish.
Match details
Millwall played like a team that knew they had to win. Oliver Burke and Tom Bradshaw both came close in the opening stages, with the latter just missing the ball from a long throw-in that would have surely given the hosts the lead.
In fact, it took eight minutes for them to find the back of the net, with Duncan Watmore picking up the ball on the edge of the area from a flicked-on throw-in. He controlled it before smashing a shot off the bar and back into play, but referee Craig Pawson indicated that it had crossed the line, with The Den erupting.
The Lions were unfortunate not to be two goals up seconds later after Zian Flemming clipped the post from a free-kick. Bradshaw rushed in to tap the rebound into an empty net, but the flag went up for offside.
It gave Blackburn confidence and they started to create chances, with the equaliser coming in the 22nd minute when Adam Wharton curled a low shot into the bottom corner from distance, stunning the home fans.
Rovers continued to surge forwards, with Joe Rankin-Costello firing a low effort into the gloves of George Long from a short corner. They were caught out by a Millwall counter, however, as Burke rushed forward and played a long ball from inside his own half. Pickering beat the forward to the ball but headed backwards behind Aynsley Pears, allowing Watmore to rush in and tap the ball into an empty net.
Three minutes later, Gary Rowett’s men grabbed their third after Wharton misplaced a cross-field pass, playing it straight to Burke down the right. The forward rushed into the box and confidently tucked a shot past Pears, giving his side a 3-1 lead at half-time.
It would be unlike Millwall to secure an easy win in a huge game, and Blackburn got themselves back into the match just five minutes after the restart. George Saville fouled half-time substitute Tyrhys Dolan around 25 yards out from goal, with Ben Brereton Diaz forcing Long into a good save from the free-kick. They could not clear the danger, however, with Rankin-Costello tapping the ball into the net from point-blank range.
The Lions could not cope with Blackburn in the final third. Brereton Diaz was the man who equalised, curling a powerful effort into the back of the net from the edge of the area to level the scores in the 63rd minute. Seconds later, he clipped the post after robbing Danny McNamara of the ball, with Dolan missing the rebound.
They were once again fortunate not to fall behind with 15 minutes to play as Brereton Diaz hit the woodwork once again after substitute Tyler Burey lost the ball in the box. The Chilean international rose highest with a header as the ball almost bounced over the line.
Blackburn wrapped up the win with four matches to go as Millwall collapsed. Burey’s shot was saved by Pears as the visitors countered, with Brereton Diaz tapping the ball into the net to knock the Lions out of the top six.
Millwall: 4-2-3-1: Long; McNamara, Hutchinson, Cooper, Styles; Mitchell, Saville; Burke, Flemming, Watmore; Bradshaw
Blackburn: 4-2-3-1: Pears; Rankin-Costello, Carter, Hyam, Pickering; Travis, Wharton; Hedges, Szmodics, Brereton; Thomas
Photo: Millwall FC