Boro making their own problems with again, too much sloppy passing, VDB at the back giving the ball away a number of times.
Millwall look dangerous on the break and down the wings. Boro struggling to get into the game with no one upfront really.
1-1 back level Lucas Engel. Needed that as we have been second best in all areas. 😎
Engel with the equaliser in the 38th minute assisted by Greenwood. 😀
Well worked goal against the play. Well executed bu Jones and Greenwood for a tap in by Engel
CJ:
Boro level. First time any of Boro's attacking players have dropped a little deeper into the pocket to exploit the space between the two lines. Greenwood who does here. Gets it, turns, lays it wide for Jones, then darts into the box. He gets it back, crosses low across the face of goal and Engel is back post for the tap-in.
Further to Lukas Engel's goal:
That was a high energy first half that seemed to catch Boro by surprise as they struggled to cope with the Millwall press and they took a deserved lead with a well-taken goal. Thankfully Boro have gradually played themselves into the game and have worked out how to breakout of the press and scored a good goal after a nice move. Have to say Luke Ayling has look a cut above and looks a really good signing on his first-half performance - definitely improves the side. Azaz has looked OK in spells but with Boro having no striker on the pitch it's needed a different approach with rotation. Though Jones turn up top appears to see him easily out-muscled. Good game and signs that Boro could win this one.
CJ's verdict on the first half:
Sluggish first half. Boro largely second best and struggling in possession to work through Millwall's well-organised lines of defence. Goal came from exploiting that space in between. Brighter after the goal, but Millwall carry a real threat in their forward ranks.
Has the Chelsea game and/or the travel struggles had an impact? Possibly. But Carrick made plenty of notes during that first half and he will need to see huge improvements from so many of his players in this second half.
Its been a cracking game. Millwall are really lively and putting us under pressure and we are at times struggling. However, we have persevered with playing our way and that has seen a couple of ten minutes spells when we have looked very dangerous. The first spell saw us pick our way through Millwall but not quite score. Their goal was another brilliant strike from the edge of the area. Our equaliser was a really beautiful team goal. Glover fed it through to Greenwood. He carried it, fed to Jones. Jones fed it through to Greenwood making the forward run from deep and he picked out Engel who had made the run to the far post.
Ayling looks like the quality that we know he is and Azaz looks to have a great deal to offer.
All in all, anything could happen but its a good watch.
UTB
CJ's assessment of the two new boys in the first half:
Both have had decent halves actually. Ayling struggled initially, with Bryan's pace causing him some trouble. But he appeared to quickly work that out and has gradually grown into the half. Looks really comfortable in possession and that's helped Boro's gradual improvements in the half.
Azaz hasn't seen much of the ball. One or two really good flicks though. He certainly looks like an inventive player. He did say he was a player who liked to look for space but one thing he hasn't done is exploit that space between the two Millwall defensive lines. It was Greenwood who did that well, leading to the equaliser.
Very entertaining first half. Match started with Typical Boro, lots of miss hit and sloppy passes. Engel and VDB struggling against Millwalls right side, with again little cover from Greenwood.
When Millwall attack, Boro look vulnerable in defence. I think Clarke on for VDB would help the situation. How we are missing Coburn aswell .
Izzy gives Boro the lead in the 58th minute.
Crooks on for Azaz in the 62nd minute.
Clarke & Hackney on for Barlaser & Jones n the 77th minute. Only - only! - 10 minutes + any injury time to hold out... *prays*
Forss (wahey!) on for Greenwood in the 87th minute.
Forss, assisted by Rogers, adds a third in the fifth minute of injury time! 🙂
Welcome back Marcus Forss 1-3 smash and grab but deserved. Cob 😊😎
Great second-half performance - Boro withstood the early Millwall onslaught and then got the second goal with another good move and coll Jones finish. After that it was a case of working hard and keeping their shape as we've seen against our PL opponents. Millwall eventually tired after expending a lot of energy in the first hour and Boro took control and saw out the game. The proverbial icing on the cake was Forss coming on and then actually scoring with a good strike to seal the points. Brilliant stuff! Man of the match for me was Luke Ayling who has now given Boro something extra at right-back and given he hasn't played much looked like he's been playing all season. A week to rest now - phew!
Boro up to ninth in the league with 39 points, the same number as Hull, but with a GD of +1, two fewer than the Tigers, so behind on that criterion.
Given the injuries to Latte Lath and Josh Coburn then surely Marcus Forss has to play the central strikers role? 😎
Almost forgot: welcome back Middlesbrough3! 😉
Gazette ratings
Tom Glover - 7
Never an easy place to come for a goalkeeper but off the back of a few shaky moments in midweek, he was far more assured here. Claimed everything he needed too and made the saves he needed to make.
Luke Ayling - 7
A really steady debut after a difficult start. He used his experience to work Joe Bryan out and grew into the game from an attacking point of view too. His leadership and experience were both on show in a composed and calming display.
Rav van den Berg - 6
Difficult afternoon for the young Dutchman. Largely up against Watmore and really struggled to deal with the ex-Boro man. Didn't ever give up though and was part of a dogged defence late on to see the result out.
Dael Fry - 8
Boro's man of the match. Was by no means an easy afternoon against Kevin Nisbet who won his fair share of headers. But the Boro man made some crucial last-ditch headed clearances and blocks to help Boro grab a win despite not being at their best.
Lukas Engel - 6
A strange one in that their first two goalscorers didn't have particularly good games. Engel really struggled at left-back against Ryan Longman. But having scored his first Boro goal, he'll no doubt emerge feeling positive.
Jonny Howson - 6
Not an easy game to be a midfielder in. The way Millwall set up meant that Boro were often having to bypass Howson and go more direct, while when Millwall were in possession he looked at times overrun. Nevertheless, he kept chipping away and made sure to do whatever he possibly could to positively influence matters.
Dan Barlaser - 6
He improved as the game went on, dropping deeper to receive the ball and trying to use his passing range to go a bit more direct. It probably wasn't so much his fault, with the attackers ahead of him often too flat-footed to receive his passes. But, as was the case with Howson, it was a difficult afternoon to be a Boro midfielder, but they both gave doggedly determined displays to keep going regardless.
Isaiah Jones - 6
Gifted the goal to give Boro a second-half lead, he finished it well when put through on goal. But beyond that it was a sluggish display from Jones who at times looked off the pace and too flat-footed whenever Boro looked to go through the Millwall line.
Finn Azaz - 7
A positive debut. While not quite connected yet fully with his team-mates, he provided a couple of really promising touches, flicks and passes. He looked a really crafty player who will be of huge use in games where Boro enjoy more possession. The only criticism in this one would be that he didn't use the space between the lines more by dropping a little deeper to receive it.
Sam Greenwood - 7
Started on the left, had a spell up top in the second half, Greenwood looked hungry here after a few difficult weeks. Competition for places is growing in Boro's forward line and Greenwood looked keen to keep his place. He deserves immense credit for being the Boro forward to finally work out that coming a bit deeper into the space to receive the ball was the way to unlock Millwall as he played a huge role in starting and finishing Boro's equaliser with the assist.
Morgan Rogers - 7
Asked to play centre-forward, it's not his natural role, and on an afternoon when Boro didn't work the ball through the lines and enjoy the possession they usually do, it wasn't easy for him. Still, his effort and movement was excellent and he had Boro's best chance before the equaliser while also providing more positive driving runs throughout too.
Substitutions
Matt Crooks (For Azaz, 62') - 6 - Worked really hard after coming on as Boro looked to defend more and hit on the counter. Very unlucky to not kill the game off himself.
Matt Clarke (For Jones, 77') - 6 - Came on as Boro went three at the back and helped solidify Boro on their left where they'd been particularly vulnerable throughout beforehand.
Hayden Hackney (For Barlaser, 77') - 6 - Some lovely touches in tight spaces set Boro off on a couple of positive counter attacks. Bright cameo in a game Carrick was able to largely rest him in.
Marcus Forss (For Greenwwod, 87') - N/A - Returning with a big goal that killed the game off. Great moment for the Finn.
Man of the match for me was Luke Ayling who has now given Boro something extra at right-back and given he hasn't played much looked like he's been playing all season. A week to rest now - phew!
Dom Shaw, like The Gazette, plumped for Dael Fry:
Man of the match for me was Luke Ayling who has now given Boro something extra at right-back and given he hasn't played much looked like he's been playing all season.
It seems that Ayling was very much MC's recruitment preference:
Feels like an important win today. A battling 3 points at Millwall is never easy and the points put us right in touch with the top six. With the injured players coming back, the absentees overseas returning soon and the two new additions showing well today there will be strength in depth in the squad just in time for a storming run to the end of the season.
I don't care how we did it really, an absolutely brilliant win at a ground that can be a bit of a graveyard. Wonderful. I hope the fans got out of the ground safely and the team too!
UTB,
John
OFB will be happy too!
A good win against a Millwall side whom I have rarely seen play better football. In the first half their energy and creativity swept us off our feet for long periods and we were lucky to reach the interval on level terms.
Thankfully Glover, after his two concerning blips against Chelsea, was faultless in his handling, Fry blocked and headed manfully and Ayling, reassuringly experienced and unflustered, showed that he could be our signing of the season. A problem position for most of this season solved at the stroke of a pen.
Most of Millwall's threats came down our left, where Engel gave his winger too much room to cross for their first goal, and looked vulnerable throughout the first half. Credit to him, though, for getting up to the far post for his tap-in equaliser.
Our main first-half problem lay in the failure of our forwards to retain possession of the ball. Coburn was sorely missed in this regard. Rogers, Azaz and Greenwood were all flicks, touches, misplaced passes and runs into blind alleys that saw the ball quickly returned to the opposition.
It was frustrating and surely no surprise that Watmore with energetic and purposeful running into the heart of our defence was providing for Millwall precisely the kind of penetration that we were lacking.
If we could sign a striker of his ability and experience for the £1m we sold him for, I suspect that most Boro supporters would be ecstatic. We have been four years now seeking that elusive experienced striker. Yet we were happy to virtually give one away.
There were a couple of patches in which Millwall's energy levels flagged and we came more into the game. Greenwood linked up well with Jones and provided the killer ball for Engel's equaliser.
The second half began as a repeat of the first but our goal had given us the confidence to play and we always looked both more secure defensively and more dangerous on the break. The final ball continued to let us down however and it was only a mistake by Bryan from Azaz's searching ball that let in Jones who sprinted away and finished clinically.
The defensive organisation that thwarted both Villa and Chelsea came into play thereafter, especially with the late introduction of Clarke giving us a solid four at the back that Millwall in spite of all their possession never looked like breaching.
Continuing to look threatening on the break, Boro put the game to bed with a sizzling finish by Forss after excellent control and a lovely set-up by Rogers.
The 1-3 scoreline suggested a degree of comfort in this victory that was rarely evident during most of the game.
But what character we showed once again after an already exhausting week. This was an outstanding win against opposition that played much better than either their history or their current league position suggested.
MoM awards have already been distributed by others to Glover, Fry and Ayling and this seems about right. All played well.
I find Rogers frustrating, sublime at times, seeing and doing things that are beyond others, but often running into traffic, giving the ball away too easily in the middle of the park and putting us on the back foot.
The problem is that his considerable qualities are all of a piece with his fallibilities. My abiding memory of the Preston game is of Rogers' sublimely-weighted pass through a packed defence for Jones's first goal.
It required a special vision to see the pass, and fantastic ability to deliver it so delicately. And of course had it been cut out, as it might easily have been, we would all have criticised his wastefulness.
Today he was ineffective in the first half, but dangerous on the break in the second.
Azaz showed his class in patches, whilst Greenwood created the first goal and generally played well, a number of petulant fouls excepted.
One minor incident of concern: a reluctance by Greenwood to accept Engel's offer of thanks for his goal. Not sure what was going on there.
s
Yes. I noticed Greenwood's snub of Engel too. I must admit, I've been a little bit nervous of Greenwood's character from the day of the press conference when he was introduced. He seemed a little too cocky for my liking and quite a contrast to Lewis O'Brien, who I think was introduced on the same day. Hopefully, it's just me being misled by his hairstyle or something and he's a lovely bloke really and they all get on like a house on fire.
