Millwall vs Blackburn Rovers. Sky Bet Championship.
The DenAttendance17,588.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Millwall and Blackburn Rovers at The Den; the Lions lost 4-3 after leading 3-1 at half-time, with both sides missing out on a play-off spot
Monday 8 May 2023 18:53, UK
Millwall missed out on the Championship play-offs after a second-half capitulation against Blackburn, losing 4-3 on the final day after leading 3-1 at the break.
Both sides started the day with top-six ambitions and the hosts looked on their way to securing the win they needed when Duncan Watmore's double and Oliver Burke's addition sent them into the break with a two-goal cushion.
But Gary Rowett's side crumbled after half-time and after Joe Rankin-Costello reduced the arrears, Ben Brereton Diaz's double completed a remarkable turnaround.
Sunderland's win at Preston saw the Black Cats claim sixth spot, with Blackburn leapfrogging the Lions and only missing out themselves on goal difference on a day of high drama at The Den.
The teams were greeted by a cacophony of noise and the hosts responded by flying out of the traps, opening the scoring after eight minutes when Watmore lashed home a loose ball after Zian Flemming's long throw was not dealt with.
The Lions thought they had a second inside 10 minutes when Tom Bradshaw tucked home the rebound after Flemming's free-kick hit the post, only for Millwall's top scorer to be denied by an offside flag.
Flemming headed wide as the one-way traffic continued but the home fans were then stunned into silence as Adam Wharton curled Blackburn's first attempt of the afternoon into the bottom corner from 20 yards.
Rovers were soon architects of their own downfall as the hosts regained the ascendancy, with Watmore first to benefit.
A mix-up between Aynsley Pears and Harry Pickering saw the latter's misjudged header from Burke's long ball leave the goalkeeper in no-man's land and the winger scored with a tap-in.
Just two minutes later, Wharton's loose pass was seized upon by Burke, who struck low into the corner to give Pears no chance.
Rovers boss Jon Dahl Tomasson made two changes at the break and Blackburn were back in it five minutes after the restart, Rankin-Costello converting the rebound after George Long parried Brereton Diaz's free-kick.
The Chile international was on hand to level matters after 63 minutes, superbly curling the ball past Long from outside the area.
He then came within inches of giving the visitors the lead when he outmuscled Danny McNamara and struck the inside of the post, the rebound bouncing wide off Tyrhys Dolan.
Events at Deepdale left the Lions suddenly needing to find a winner to muscle their way back into the top six but Rovers stayed on the front foot and Brereton Diaz saw a header kept out by a combination of Scott Malone and the crossbar.
But there was no denying him with four minutes to play, Brereton Diaz tapping in Sammie Szmodics' inch-perfect cross to settle a breathless contest and deny the Lions a first play-off appearance at this level for 21 years.
Millwall's Gary Rowett:
"You've got to hold your nerve in games like this. You've got to keep your composure. I said about it before that part of the challenge [on Monday] would be to see how we coped with what was on the line and, at 3-1, we have to hold our shape and play with discipline. I said that at half-time.
"At the start of the second half, I think we felt like we had to chase Blackburn down and we just left too much space and when you leave space to good players who've got nothing to lose, they've got an opportunity to punish you. It's disappointing, given the game was in the palm of our hands.
"I always knew that, at 3-1, another goal would just make it really edgy and it certainly did. I don't think we've conceded four goals in a game all season, but it was that type of game. People did things they shouldn't probably do and that's because of the amount of pressure riding on the game.
"In some ways, the fourth goal was irrelevant, really. To me, that wasn't the issue. We knew we needed to win the game. It didn't feel, at that point, that we'd lost the opportunity; we already knew the opportunity was out of our hands unless we scored when we had a chance.
"It's really hard to have a little bit of distance on a result like that, but we have to understand it's another strong season for us, another season where we've made a massive step and what we've got to learn to play with an improved performance under pressure - and probably the last six or seven games, we haven't quite handled that as well as we could have done. I feel that came out in the second half."
Blackburn's Jon Dahl Tomasson:
"It is extremely disappointing to miss out on goal difference but we all know why we are not in the play-offs. We have been lacking goals - to score four today is part of life. We were a bit nervous at the beginning but after Adam (Wharton) equalised, we were in control before giving two stupid goals away.
The second half was exceptional. I told the boys in that dressing room at half-time that if we got one back, we could win the game and we did it. This is not an easy place to come to, so to be 3-1 behind and turn it around like we did was excellent."
