Violence mars Millwall's win
Match report: Millwall 3-2 Everton
Millwall are through to the fifth round and here’s how they got there.
Full-time: Millwall 3-2 Everton
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeep! It’s all over and Millwall are through to the fifth round after coming from behind twice to beat a dreadful Everton side with three set-piece goals. For the fifth time in a succession they’ve beaten Premier League opposition at the Den and despite scoring a controversial equaliser to make it 2-2 are well worth their win. Everton had three shots on target during the 90 minutes and their defending at free-kicks and corners was little short of risible.
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90+6 min: Millwall substitution: Alex Pearce on for Lee Gregory.
GOAL!!!! Millwall 3-2 Everton (Wallace 90+5)
Millwall win it at the death as Everton fail to defend yet another set piece. Shaun Williams played the ball into the mixer from the right touchline, Hutchinson got the knockdown and Murray Wallace sweeps home from a few yards out.
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90+3 min: Now it’s Everton’s turn to defend as Millwall launch a late assault and win a free-kick wide on the right for a Digne foul on Morison.
90+2 min: Millwall win a throw-in deep in Everton territory, which Leonard takes long. Everton clear and Richarlison gallops off on the counter-attack. Millwall recover and clear the ball, but Everton continue to ramp up the pressure. Sigurdsson takes a shot from distance and Jordan Archer saves comfortably.
90 min: Kurt Zouma dispossesses Ryan Leponard with a wonderful sliding tackle on the edge of his own penalty area. It was perfectly timed, if a little risky given the atrocious conditions.
88 min: Millwall substitution from a minute or two ago: Aiden O’Brien off, Jiri Skalak on. Millwall substitution just now: Shane Ferguson off, Steve Morison on.
85 min: Fun and games on the sideline, where Everton boss Marco Silva is appealing to the referee’s assistant to rule out the goal because he’s just seen the handball on the big screen in the corner of the ground.
He’s calling for VAR of a kind, even though it is only being used in FA Cup ties played at Premier League grounds this weekend. In the adjacent technical area, Neil Harris is gesticulating furiously at whoever is in charge of the screen, telling them to stop showing replays of the goal.
81 min: some housekeeping: Idrissa Gueye and Cenk Tosun were both booked for protesting too much in the wake of that second Millwall equaliser.
Everton may well complain about that handball if they draw or lose this game, but they only have themselves to blame really. Their defending at set-pieces has been risible during this game and one can’t help but feel that if Millwall were able to get the ball into the box more often they’d be ahead in this game.
78 min: That goal could scarcely have been more scrappy, but it shouldn’t have counted. Following protests from several Everton players, the referee consulted with his assistant before allowing the goal to stand. It’s difficult to blame him for getting the decision wrong, as the penalty area was packed full of bodies and his view may well have been obstructed. Everton substitution: Theo Walcott on for Ademola Lookman.
GOAL! Millwall 2-2 Everton (Cooper 75)
Millwall equalise from a set-piece, which Everton have proved utterly hopeless at defending throughout this game. The free-kick was needless and Ferguson sent the ball into the penalty area. Following a scramble in which Jake Cooper handled the ball, he eventually guided it home. Murray Wallace took a shot from close range that was saved by Pickford, but the ball broke to Cooper who controlled it with his hand before steering it home.
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74 min: Digne barges into Romeo down by the corner flag to concede a free-kick.
GOAL! Millwall 1-2 Everton (Tosun 72)
Everton retake the lead. From the edge of the penalty area, Gylfi Sigurdsson plays a neat through-ball into the path of Cenk Tosun, who gets in behind the Millwall defence to dispatch the ball beyond Jordan Archer with a scuffed shot.
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70 min: Andre Gomes plays a crossfield ball towards Lucas Digne on the left touchline, but Aiden O’Brien tracks back to prevent the Everton left-back from taking possession.
68 min: Everton win a throw-in deep in Millwall territory after good play from Lookman and Coleman, who are combining well down that right flank.
67 min: Murray Wallace picks up the first booking of the game for a tug on Ademola Lookman.
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67 min: Millwall corner. Shane Ferguson curls the ball towards the near post, where Lucas Digne heads clear.
65 min: Everton substitution: Cenk Tosun on for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has spent the last 65 minutes in the pockets of Millwall central defenders Shaun Hutchinson and Jake Cooper. It’s been a very disappointing performance from the young player trying to stake his claim to be Everton’s main striker.
63 min: Everton win a corner, which Gylfi Sigurdsson takes. He aims for Kurt Zouma, but Ryan Leonard heads clear. Ryan Tunnicliffe completes the clear-up, running the ball out of defence.
63 min: Ryan Leonard attempts a shot from distance, but sends his effort high over the bar before turning away from goal and smiling sheepishly.
61 min: At the risk of labouring the point, the downpour here is little short of biblical. It’s been raining since well before kick-off and little puddles are starting to form on the pitch.
60 min: Richarlison squares the ball for Lookman, who is unmarked in the penalty area. A poor first touch from the striker allows Millwall to scramble the ball clear.
58 min: Everton win a free-kick wide on the right. Gylfi Sigurdsson sends a dangerous cross fizzing into the penalty area, trying to find Calvert-Lewin. Shaun Hutchinson gets goal;side of the striker and Ryan Tunnicliffe hacks clear.
57 min: Jake Cooper boots the ball forward and in the penalty area, Ryan Leonard heads the ball backwards into the path of Lee Gregory. He shoots wide.
53 min: Everton corner, which Gylfi Sigurdsson takes. Millwall clear, while another foul on an Everton player - Kurt Zouma was having his shirt pulled by Jake Cooper - in the penalty area at a set-piece goes unpunished and possibly unnoticed by the referee, Michael Oliver.
52 min: A promising Everton move breaks down when Ademola Lookman fails to find him with a pass into the Millwall penalty area. It continues to lash down with rain and the pitch is increasingly sodden.
49 min: Romeo gets a good cross into the Everton box, which beats Jordan Pickford. Murray Wallace stoops to try to head home from the edge of the six-yard box, but his effort is blocked. Millwall fans appeal for a penalty for hand-ball off the defender, but none is forthcoming. Replays show Michael Oliver was correct to ignore their pleas.
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48 min: Millwall win a throw-in deep in Everton teritory, which Romeo takes. He receives the ball back and attempts to send a cross into the Everton box, but Sigurdsson blocks.
47 min: Zouma gets an early touch and tries to release Digne down the left flank. He touches the ball inside to Richarlison, who is dispossessed by Mahlon Romeo.
46 min: Everton get the ball rolling after an abysmal first half display, during which they scored a fairly lucky goal with their only shot on target. They were first out for the second half and were kept waiting by Millwall, who joined them a couple of minutes later. There’s a change in the Everton line-up, with Kurt Zouma coming on for Yerry Mina, who picked up a knock in the first half.
Half-time: Millwall 1-1 Everton
The players go in for the break after 43 minutes of the most dreadful football entertainment you’ll ever see. And three that were quite exciting. The conditions - it’s windy and pouring with rain – haven’t helped, but the game sparked into life with two minutes of the half remaining when Richarlison put Everton ahead with a soft goal from distance. A couple of minutes later, Lee Gregory restored parity with a fine header.
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GOAL! Millwall 1-1 Everton (Gregory 45+1)
Game on!!! Lee Gregory equalise almost immediately from a set-piece. A long diagonal ball from deep is sent to the edge of the Everton box. Jake Cooper gets to it and heads it into the mixer, where Lee Gregory out-jumps Lucas Digne to send a looping header over Jordan Pickford and into the net.
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45 min: Jordan Archer was furious with Shaun Hutchinson in the wake of that goal, accusing the centre-half of ducking out of the way of Richarlison’s shot. That seems a rather harsh assessment of events and methinks the goalkeeper may have been trying to deflect blame away from his own glaring error. He had a clear sight of the ball and should have saved comfortably.
GOAL! Millwall 0-1 Everton (Richarlison 43)
Oh dear. Richarlison fires Everton ahead with a shot from outside the box that took a deflection off Shaun Hutchinson. The ball bounced in front of the diving Jordan Archer, who misjudges the flight and allows it to squirm under his body.
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41 min: Murray Wallace switches play from left wing to right for Millwall, who are then forced on the retreat and back into their own half.
39 min: Shane Ferguson wins a free-kick not too far inside the Everton half after backing into Ademola Lookman. The ball’s floated towards the edge of the Everton penalty area, where the visitors clear.
37 min: Jordan Archer makes a mess of trying to clear a back-pass and sends the ball looping up in the air. It drops at the feet of Gylfi Sigurdsson just outside the Millwall penalty area,but rather than hit it first time, the Icelandic international dithers over his shot and a decent chance goes to waste.
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36 min: Idrissa Gueye attempts to switch play out to the left wing, where Lucas Digne had made a good run up the touchline. The Senegal international overhits his pass and the ball sails out of play.
33 min: Coleman and Ferguson contest a high ball and the Millwall winger comes off second best. There’s not a lot happening in this game, but I imagine Neil Harris will be delighted with the way things are going at the moment. His team are getting in the faces of their Everton counterparts and not allowing them to dictate the play.
28 min: Now Richarlison goes down hurt after Shaun Hutchinson clatters into him while running across to head a bouncing ball the Brazilian was trying to control on the touchline into the stand. The Millwall defender helps Richarlison to his feet and he hobbles gingerly back into battle.
27 min: Mina is passed fit to continue and takes an age to tie his boot before resuming play. Millwall’s fans boo him accordingly for time-wasting.
24 min: It’s been a scrappy game so far, with little in the way of chances to report. Everton are clearly the better side, but Millwall have had the best chance in that header Jake Cooper put wide. There’s a break in play as Yerry Mina receives treatment for an injury he sustained in a coming-together with Lee Gregory. He’ll catch his death of cold sitting on that wet grass.
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22 min: Shane Ferguson crosses into the Everton penalty area from the left channel, but there’s too many bodies there for Lee Gregory to get a sniff. The ball is headed clear.
20 min: Everton win a throw-in deep in Millwall territory after good link-up play between Lookman and Coleman. Nothing comes of it.
18 min: Gomes plays the ball out wide to Digne on the left touchline. He plays it on to Richarlison, who sends a good cross towards the far post. With Lookman running to the near one, Millwall goalkeeper Jordan Archer watches as the ball goes out of play.
17 min: The ball skids out for a goal kick after Richarlison tries to play in Ademola Lookman. Romeo upended Richarlison with a late tackle as he put in the cross and is lucky to avoid a booking. He gets a talking-to from Michael Oliver, but no yellow card.
15 min: Rain continues to hammer down as this scrappy game tries to find a rhythm. Millwall right-back Mahlon Romeo may be able to help out in that department, seeing as his dad is Jazzy B from Soul II Soul.
12 min: Millwall win a free-kick, wide on the right. The ball is lofted towards the far post, where Shaun Hutchinson heads it across the face of goal. Lucas Digne heads clear before anyone in a Millwall shirt can steer the ball goalwards.
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9 min: While players in earlier games today wore black armbands to pay tribute to the missing (presumed dead) Cardiff City striker Emiliano Sala, the players at the Den are not doing so. It seems that Sala’s family got in touch with the FA to ask that the tributes be put on hold, as they remain hopeful that he is still alive.
8 min: A great chance goes a begging for Millwall, as Jake Cooper gets on the end of a Shane Ferguson free-kick from deep, only to steer his header wide of the upright. He should have scored.
6 min: Replays suggest that Ryan Leonard was lucky to get away with a foul on Michael Keane as Lucas Diugne took that corner for Everton. The midfielder had his arm around the Everton defender’s neck as the ball sailed into the penalty area, preventing him from jumping. If Michael Oliver had spotted him, he would surely have blown for a spot-kick.
5 min: Everton win a corner, which Lucas Digne sends curling away from the six-yard box. Millwall break on the counter-attack with Ryan Leonard on the ball.
3 min: For Everton, Ademola Lookman curls in a cross from the right flank. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is unable to control his header.
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3 min: Rain pours down as Shaun Hutchinson is penalised for a foul on Idrissa Gueye in midfield.
2 min: Shane Ferguson loses the ball in midfield, allowing Everton to take possession and try to build an attack.
1 min: Millwall get an early cross into the Everton box, which Jordan Pickford claims comfortably.
1 min: Millwall kick off. Their players line-up wearing navy shirts with white collars, white shorts and blue socks. Everton’s players wear white shirts, navy blue shorts and white socks. Referee Michael Oliver is a vision in cerise, in case you’re interested.
Not long now: “THIS IS THE LIONS’ DEN” reads the sign over the cramped tunnel as the teams march out to do battle. Kick-off is just moments away.
Prediction time: We haven’t had much in the way of upsets so far today, unless you count Accrington manager John Coleman, who was very upset indeed in the wake of his side’s defeat at the hands of Derby County. Coleman embarked on a spectacularly bitter post-match rant against referee Jon Moss, who he blamed for Accrington’s defeat. I quite fancy Millwall to do a number on Everton this evening, so I’ll plump for Millwall 3-1 Everton.
Millwall v Everton line-ups
Millwall: Archer, Romeo, Hutchinson, Cooper, Murray Wallace, O’Brien, Tunnicliffe, Leonard, Williams, Ferguson, Gregory.
Subs: Meredith, Pearce, Martin, Morison, Skalak, Hanson, Alexander.
Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Mina, Digne, Andre Gomes, Gueye, Lookman, Sigurdsson, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin.
Subs: Baines, Zouma, Walcott, Tosun, Bernard, Stekelenburg, Davies.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
Neil Harris speaks: Talking in the build-up to the game, Millwall’s manager said he didn’t think his team had achieved the kind of consistency he’d like, despite winning four games (three league and one FA Cup) since after Christmas. The Lions have failed to win either of their past two, losing against Blackburn and drawing with Middlesbrough.
“I don’t feel we are in a position where we have turned the season around,” he said. “We had a relatively good first few weeks then we had a spell where every error we made, the ball went in the goal. I have never really had that before when I have been in charge. This year has been the first time and we had a dip in individual players not being at their best. Certainly had more injuries than we have ever had. It has culminated in us not winning as many games as we should have.
“Coupled with the number of late goals we have let in, it has put us in a position we are not used to being in, the lower half of the division. It has been a good learning curve. Since Christmas we took 10 points in five league games, beat Hull and the league game we lost was at Blackburn in the last minute. That was a frustrating one. We have got a long way to go to get back to our best which we showed at the end of last season but we are certainly showing signs of improvement, and that brings momentum and confidence.”
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Early team news ...
Millwall manager Neil Harris must plan without injured strikers Tom Bradshaw and Tom Elliott, goalkeeper Ben Amos and right-back Conor McLaughlin. New signing Ben Marshall, in on loan from Norwich City, is cup-tied.
Everton manager Silva is comparatively untroubled by injury concerns and is only missing Phil Jagielka, who has played just twice so far this season and is out with a muscle injury. Following his side’s defeat at the hands of Southampton last weekend, Silva may well ring the changes.
FA Cup fourth round: Millwall v Everton
The Den is the setting for one of the fourth round’s more intriguing ties, with Championship strugglers Millwall entertaining Premier League under-achievers Everton in the first meeting between the sides in any competition since they met in the third round of the FA Cup in 2005-06, which was won by today’s visitors.
Millwall saw off Hull City to earn their berth in this round, while Everton beat League Two leaders Lincoln City by the odd goal of three. Kick-off under the lights in south London is at 5.30pm (GMT), but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
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