Queens Park Rangers vs Millwall. Sky Bet Championship.
Loftus Road Stadium.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between QPR and Millwall at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium as goals from Charlie Austin, Stefen Johansen and Jordy De Wijs saw Rangers clinch a remarkable second-half comeback.
Wednesday 17 March 2021 22:09, UK
Jordy De Wijs scored a late winner for QPR as they came from two goals down to beat Millwall 3-2 in a lively London derby.
First-half goals from Jed Wallace and Mason Bennett put the visitors in command.
But Charlie Austin scored six minutes into the second half and Stefan Johansen equalised before Dutch defender De Wijs rose to head home Ilias Chair's corner four minutes from time.
Millwall took the lead after just six minutes following an error by Todd Kane.
After Kane was dispossessed by George Evans, Ryan Woods threaded through a perfect pass to Wallace, who fired into the far corner of the net - his eighth goal of the season.
Rangers thought they had equalised when Rob Dickie nudged the ball in after Lyndon Dykes' long throw had been headed on by De Wijs.
But Dickie was adjudged to be offside, and shortly afterwards the defender's header from another Dykes throw was kept out by goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski.
After those two scares, Millwall scored from their own long throw six minutes before half-time.
Bennett netted moments after a dreadful miss when he shot tamely at goalkeeper Seny Dieng after beating the Rangers offside trap and finding himself through on goal.
The striker atoned in emphatic fashion by getting in front of Kane to acrobatically hook the ball in after Mahlon Romeo's throw had been headed on by Jake Cooper.
Another flick-on by Cooper early in the second half, this time from Evans' lofted free-kick, teed-up Shaun Hutchinson, who shot wide from near the edge of the six-yard box.
A third goal would almost certainly have sealed the win for Millwall.
Instead, Rangers were given hope by Austin's sixth goal since rejoining the club on loan from West Brom at the end of January.
Geoff Cameron sent the ball in from the left and Austin got in front of Alex Pearce to head beyond Bialkowski.
Hutchinson was then guilty of an even worse miss when he skied a first-time effort over the crossbar from a few yards after being found by Wallace's free-kick.
That miss, and Woods losing possession, proved costly for the Lions, whose lead was wiped out in the 67th minute.
After Chris Willock had robbed Woods, Dykes fed a pass through to Lee Wallace, whose low cross from the left wrong-footed Cooper and dropped to Johansen. The Norwegian was also off-balance but managed to readjust his position and scuff the ball in from close range.
As Millwall wilted, QPR pushed for a winner and were rewarded by De Wijs' first goal since arriving on loan from Hull.
QPR's Mark Warburton: "I don't rate that first half in any shape or form. We were lucky to be only 2-0 down. We played like a team that hadn't even met each other before. We gave the ball away cheaply, vacated areas positionally and were naive. It was very unlike us as a team. We fully deserved to be two down and it could easily have been more. We looked so far off our normal level.
"To then show that desire and character, and to create so many chances against a Millwall defence that gives away very few chances against most teams in the division, the players deserve so much credit. In the second half we were on the front foot, moving the ball much quicker, and the players smelt the victory as opposed to just settling for the point. To come back in that fashion - they showed a lot of desire and commitment - they can take huge belief from that performance."
Millwall's Gary Rowett: "In the first half we were excellent. We got to grips with QPR, moved the ball well, had very good chances and took two of them. We spoke clearly about maintaining that intensity in the second half. For us to then concede so early in that second half - I thought it was a really poor goal.
"You have a glorious chance to take the game away from QPR but you don't take it. They score quite quickly after that and as soon as they score it gives them a real lift. It was a combination of not being able to maintain that energy level and making three really bad mistakes. We made mistakes, they punished us and we probably got what we deserved."
