Sports

Millwall 0-2 West Bromwich Albion: Baggies extend lead at top to four points


Filip Krovinovic’s curling effort bent just beyond the fingertips of Bartosz Bialkowski for West Brom’s opener

West Bromwich Albion extended their lead at the top of the Championship to four points with a hard-fought victory over Millwall in stormy conditions at The Den.

In an ebb-and-flow first period, visiting midfielder Filip Krovinovic curled in from the edge of the box to give West Brom the lead, and Kyle Bartley passed up a golden chance to add a second when he flashed wide.

Livewire winger Jed Wallace was the main Millwall outlet, and forced a smart save from Sam Johnstone with a curling free-kick before crashing a shot over the top when well placed.

The second half saw the Baggies dominate possession and play, but they had to wait until late on to sew up the points when Dara O’Shea headed in Kamil Grosicki’s corner to put the result beyond doubt.

Wins for Fulham and Nottingham Forest on Saturday had compressed the top end of the second tier and this win gives Slaven Bilic’s Albion a little bit of breathing space at the summit.

It was made even more impressive against a Millwall side whose home form has been their bedrock, losing just twice before Sunday’s weather-affected encounter.

The swirling wind, patches of rain and a clotting surface failed to hamper the excitement as both sides contributed greatly to a lively contest.

Those conditions severely tested technique, with any loose touch threatening to cause havoc, as it did when West Brom forward Matheus Pereira latched onto one such lapse and rolled his shot onto the Lions’ woodwork in the first five minutes.

Bilic’s side adapted best to the conditions, even succeeding at times to pull off their one-touch style, and it took the reflexes of Millwall goalkeeper Bialkowski to keep the scoreline down – denying Hal Robson-Kanu one-on-one and turning away another Pereira shot.

There was also evidence of the depth available to them, as Matty Phillips and recent signing Grosicki made cameos from the bench, the latter swinging in a near-post corner which O’Shea guided in for his first Albion goal.

Gary Rowett’s Millwall could claim a few first-half rounds – to borrow boxing parlance – having caused problems for their visitors in the opening 45 minutes.

Wallace was a menace going forward and Republic of Ireland under-21 player Jayson Molumby was another figure of influence with the ball.

However, after the break they spent large periods under pressure, but refused to buckle further when West Brom threatened to cut loose and remained a danger from set-pieces.

The league leaders have tough games against Reading, Forest, Bristol City and Preston before the end of February, while Millwall – who are five points off the play-offs places and have their own lingering promotion hopes – have Fulham, Preston and Wigan to come.

Even basic set-pieces were made difficult as the wind whipped around the New Den





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.