West Bromwich Albion vs Millwall. Sky Bet Championship.
The HawthornsAttendance24,158.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between West Bromwich Albion and Millwall at The Hawthorns on Saturday; Goalless draw between Carlos Corberan's Baggies and Neil Harris' Lions.
Saturday 5 October 2024 18:46, UK
West Brom failed to turn home advantage their way again as they drew 0-0 against Millwall at The Hawthorns in the Sky Bet Championship.
After Tuesday's 1-0 home defeat to Middlesbrough, the Baggies struggled in front of goal once more as they made it three games without a win.
Seven-goal top scorer Josh Maja missed Albion's best chance but after dominating the first half they failed to create an opening after the break.
Millwall defended well and could have snatched a goal themselves only for Femi Azeez to miss from close range in time added on in the first half.
West Brom should have scored from the game's first chance.
Semi Ajayi split Millwall's defence for Tom Fellows to beat Danny McNamara and cut the ball back for Maja but the striker fired wildly over the bar from 10 yards.
West Brom were guilty of overplaying it as they continued to press for a breakthrough.
Darnell Furlong and Maja had efforts blocked but only after Fellows teed up Furlong from Mikey Johnston's cross when he might have gone for goal himself.
McNamara was in action at the other end when he produced Millwall's first chance, a 25-yard drive that goalkeeper Alex Palmer scrambled around the near post after a deflection.
The resulting corner swung in by George Honeyman went straight to the unmarked Japhet Tanganga but the centre-back got himself in a right tangle and the ball bounced harmlessly behind.
Millwall were defending well and Jake Cooper blocked a shot from Furlong after he checked inside following a jinking run and cross by Johnston on the left.
Kyle Bartley and Maja floated poor shots straight at Millwall goalkeeper Lukas Jensen as Albion looked for a way through.
Johnston's shot was blocked by Ryan Leonard after Fellows' step-over beat McNamara and he crossed to the far post.
Millwall should have taken the lead but the unmarked Azeez completely missed Macaulay Langstaff's cross from point-blank range when it seemed easier to score.
Albion started the second half on the attack but Bartley was the wrong side of the ball connecting with Alex Mowatt's free-kick with Jensen closing in.
Millwall responded with a shot into the ground by Romain Esse that flew wide after a free-kick was headed away by Ajayi.
Millwall substitute Mihailo Ivanovic was presented with a free header only to plant his effort straight at Palmer.
The game had turned very scrappy, which suited Millwall far more than Albion, with several stoppages and bookings.
Albion head coach Carlos Corberan turned to Lewis Dobbin and Uros Racic in place of Johnston and Jayson Molumby.
But there was no way through for either team as defences ended up on top, with the full-time whistle being the cue for some booing from the home fans.
West Brom's Carlos Corberan:
"We tried our best with lots of commitment but we need to find a way to score a goal. We need to make chances and we didn't do that.
"We had enough players on the pitch to help us. We changed in the second half to attack them and put Grady Diangana on the left to attack the left side.
"We tried many things to beat them but could not. We tried to stretch them and tried to create possibilities.
"We need to work in behaviours that help us. We need to have more possibilities and we need to have the ball in the box more. We will work to improve to have more time on the ball.
"It's not the first time as a coach I've only achieved one point from games like this. We need to improve as a team in the final third."
Millwall's Neil Harris:
"We were very respectful to West Brom's strengths both on the pitch and the bench - and a little bit envious!
"We knew they were going to control the ball and we had a clear gameplan which the players executed brilliantly.
"It was the areas where they had the ball that were important to us.
"They played where we wanted them to play - we picked two very good one-versus-one defenders against their wide players.
"We defended the ball in our box - I can only remember them having one chance when Josh Maja got free in the first half from a cross.
"Our goalkeeper didn't have a save to make in the second half and we had three, maybe four really good chances."
