admin‘That performance tonight was a Millwall performance’ – Alex Neil lauds his players after taking Crystal Palace to penalties in Carabao Cup loss
MILLWALL boss Alex Neil lauded his players after they took Premier League side Crystal Palace to penalties in the EFL Cup Third Round tie, where they lost 4-2 in the shoot-out, labelling it a “Millwall performance”.
A much-rotated Lions side took the game to their south London rivals from the start despite playing an unfamiliar system, and matched the top-flight side in intensity and chances created.
Camiel Neghli was put through on goal early in the first half but put his effort just wide, while Josh Coburn missed from yards out in the second.
As legs tired, the Eagles started to stamp their authority on the game, with Jean-Phillipe Mateta having an effort cleared off the line by Caleb Taylor, who impressed in his first Millwall start. From the resulting corner, Christantus Uche nodded the ball down for Mateta, who flicked it forward and Chris Richards reacted first to slam the ball into the net.
The Lions reacted well, buoyed on by a triple change, all of whom contributed to the goal. Aidomo Emakhu won the corner that Jack Howland whipped onto Ryan Leonard’s head at the front post, who glanced it into the net.
Mateta had the opportunity to score a late winner when Daniel Munoz cut the ball back to him in the box, but the French striker got his feet wrong and skewed the ball wide.
The Eagles ultimately triumphed in the shoot-out, with Mateta, Richards, Justin Devenny, and Daichi Kamada converting, while Tristan Crama and Emakhu had their efforts saved – with Ryan Leonard and Wes Harding scoring theirs. Neil told MillwallTV afterwards that Josh Coburn was due to take the fifth.
Regardless of the loss, Neil was delighted with his side’s display at Selhurst Park.
“I was proud of the performance in general,” Neil said. “I thought our performance levels were excellent. Throughout the game, I thought we were very good.
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