Millwall vs Sunderland. Sky Bet Championship.
The DenAttendance17,815.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Millwall and Sunderland at The Den on Saturday | Jack Clarke's penalty cancels out Kevin Nisbet's first-half strike and earns Black Cats a point
Saturday 2 December 2023 18:35, UK
Jack Clarke's penalty denied Joe Edwards his first home win as Millwall manager and rescued a 1-1 draw for Sunderland at The Den.
Kevin Nisbet gave the hosts a deserved lead after an energetic first half in South London.
However, Clarke equalised from the penalty spot with 12 minutes left, much to the delight of the travelling Sunderland supporters behind the goal.
Arsenal loanee Brooke Norton-Cuffy had the first shot on target of the match but his tame effort was straight down the throat of Anthony Patterson in the Sunderland goal.
The home fans were calling for a red card after a crunching challenge from Mason Burstow but the forward escaped with a booking.
Millwall won a corner a minute later but Jake Cooper could not get any power behind his header and Patterson caught it with ease.
The Lions were growing into the game and with 10 minutes left of the first half, Norton-Cuffy whipped a superb ball across goal.
Zian Flemming could not get on the end of it but it was a sign of what was to come.
Ryan Leonard fired a sensational long-range effort just wide of the bottom-left post and George Saville forced Patterson into action as the hosts continued to push for the opener.
It finally came on the stroke of half-time when Nisbet tapped the ball past Patterson after another fantastic delivery from Norton-Cuffy.
Sunderland won a free-kick four minutes after half-time but they could not get a touch on Adil Aouchiche's solid delivery.
The ball eventually fell to Abdoullah Ba but his strike went well wide of Millwall's goal.
It could have been 2-0 in the 57th minute when confusion in the Sunderland defence set Norton-Cuffy free down the right wing but he scuffed his cut-back and the attack petered out.
The Black Cats had an excellent chance to equalise after a dangerous run from Clarke but Bradley Dack stabbed the ball wide from close range.
Patterson produced a phenomenal save moments later to deny Tom Bradshaw, whose curling effort seemed destined for the bottom-right corner.
Clarke had come alive down the left wing and just as the game seemed to be slipping away from Sunderland, he won a penalty before coolly converting it to get his side back on level terms.
Bradshaw could have restored Millwall's lead after being put through on goal but another top-quality stop from Patterson kept the score at 1-1.
He finally found the back of the net at the third time of asking but the forward was judged to have been offside and both sides had to settle for a point.
Millwall's Joe Edwards:
"I thought Sunderland started the game well and then we grew and after we got the first goal I felt there was a noticeable change in the team. We looked confident, the fans supported us well and it felt like we were building some nice momentum, although they pretty much dominated possession throughout the game. We always posed a threat and we looked confident in our defending. The way they use width and the wide players in their team, it causes everyone problems but I felt we dealt with it well.
"When you lead a game for so long and you don't win it feels disappointing but I think you have to respect that they did have a lot of control of the game. In the second half, they mounted a lot of pressure as an away team so for me it is just areas where we can improve. I thought we did so well without the ball. We posed a threat on the break and in transition but I think we have just got to keep bridging that gap so we don't have to play at our max like that just to take a point at home."
Sunderland's Tony Mowbray:
"I thought we dominated the game, probably from start to finish apart from the last 10 minutes after we scored. You would expect us to be like The Alamo and go and get the winner but it was the other way really. We don't look like we are going to score a goal and yet we can control the game. I think they had isolated breakaways, it is what they can do and it is ok. I think we dominated for long spells without looking like we were going to score.
"We don't look like we are going to score a goal, why is that? I think it is because we have young attacking players, inexperienced attacking players who are not really ready to play for our team. And yet we have to play them and we are playing them and we are not suffering the results but we are trying to develop them and get them up to speed to be able to be a striker in the Championship."
