Millwall come from two goals down to beat Coventry 3-2 in thriller at the Den

By Christian Mayes at The Den

Millwall (1) 3 - 2 (2) Coventry

Millwall mounted a thrilling comeback from two goals down to take all three points in a frantic 3-2 win against Coventry at the Den on Saturday.

Substitute George Saville placed the winner into the net with a left-footed strike from just inside the Coventry box in the 85th minute to secure the win for the Lions.

The Sky Blues tried to see out the last 23 minutes with 10 men after Gustavo Hamer received a second yellow card for bringing down Tyler Burey as Millwall sought to counter from a corner with the scores level at 2-2.

Despite not playing in the league since the opening day due to a damaged pitch at the Coventry Building Society Arena, the Sky Blues showed no lack of match sharpness as they raced into the lead from a corner after just two minutes, when Coventry captain Kyle McFadzean bundled the ball into the Lions net following a flick-on at the near post from Matt Godden.

The away side went 2-0 up almost immediately after the scheduled drinks break midway through the first half through Godden, who met a cross from left wing back Jake Bidwell and sent the ball past Lions keeper Bialkowski.

Millwall defender Jake Cooper headed into an empty net to pull one back for the home side after 36 minutes, following an error from Coventry goalkeeper Simon Moore, who came out for a cross and failed to secure the ball.

The goal had a stirring effect on the home side, who forced Moore into a succession of saves in the closing stages of the first half.

Millwall upped their intensity after the break and were rewarded when winger Tyler Burey cut inside from the left and hit the post with a curled effort from outside the box, before George Honeyman tapped in the rebound to equalise in the 53rd minute.

Super-sub George Saville replaced George Honeyman in the 81st minute, before completing the comeback for Millwall with five minutes left to play.

Although many positives can be taken from the home side’s performance, a potential concern for Millwall manager Gary Rowett going forward will be the fitness of Mason Bennett, who was replaced by Burey after 12 minutes following an injury.

Millwall travel to Swansea on Tuesday night in their next league match, whilst the ongoing situation with Coventry’s pitch has led to their midweek clash with Wigan being postponed.