Football Review | Millwall 2 - 2 West Ham
West Ham produced a stunning comeback to snatch a point in a pulsating derby
This denied Millwall a first victory in the fixture for almost 22 years.
Author | Jamie P
Stadium | The Den
Before the match, both sets of fans seemed up for the occasion and created a great atmosphere inside and outside the stadium.
The Lions dominated the first half, with Caleb Taylor and Camiel Neghli scoring from close range after the Irons failed to deal with Lyndon Dykes' long throws. The goals gave Alex Neil's side a deserved two-goal advantage, which they held until the 74th minute.
Half-time substitute Mohamadou Kante then drilled a low strike into the bottom corner to launch the comeback, before Konstantinos Mavropanos headed home from close range six minutes later to set up a thrilling finale.
Kante was sent off in the dying seconds for bringing down Lions substitute Kyrell Lisbie when he was through on goal, while Dykes missed a chance to win it for Millwall in stoppage time.
Superb Hammers comeback
The Hammers left the field at half-time looking shell-shocked, but Nuno Espirito Santo reshuffled his side, switching to a back three and introducing Kante and Pablo, which transformed the game.
West Ham won their first corner on 50 minutes and an increasingly influential Jarrod Bowen saw a deflected effort parried by Filip Marschall. The goalkeeper, making his first league start following his deadline-day move from Stevenage, then sprawled to prevent Kante from converting the rebound.
Marschall was at the centre of the game's only real controversy after appearing to suggest he had been spat at by Hammers forward Taty Castellanos. The 23-year-old then produced a stunning reaction save to deny Pablo from close range after a Bowen cross midway through the second half.
Millwall's threadbare squad was beginning to tire and Neil sent on defender Elkan Baggott for Sykes. But within four minutes the deficit had been halved when Kante was allowed time and space to drill a low shot into the bottom corner from well outside the box.
The Hammers raised the tempo again, with Bowen flashing a cross across the face of goal and firing into the side netting, while Marschall produced another flying save to deny Edvin Austbo.
Millwall's resistance was finally broken when Mavropanos headed home Manor Solomon's cross at the far post in the 80th minute, although the Irons could not find a third goal to complete the comeback and claim a first victory at their rivals' ground in almost 38 years.
Warning | Video contains strong language
Instead, Lions substitute Lisbie broke clear from halfway in the closing seconds before Kante tugged him back just outside the area, earning the Hammers midfielder a straight red card for denying a clear scoring opportunity.
Dykes then had the chance to win it when a set-piece dropped to him on the half-turn in added time, but his effort flew over the bar as Millwall settled for extending their unbeaten home run in this fixture to six matches.
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