Here's what we learned from Millwall's comeback win at The Den.
Murray Wallace the fox in the box
The summer signing from Scunthorpe is beginning to find his feet with Millwall as Harris is deploying him as a left-back rather than his preferred centre half position. Wallace put in an impressive defensive display against Everton by taming an inform Ademola Lookman.
His night will not be remembered by that solid defensive display but more so by his dealings in Everton’s 18-yard box. All of Millwall’s defenders were threats in the box, with Jake Cooper notching a goal and an assist and then Hutchinson being denied by a goal line clearance.
However, Murray Wallace will be the name on everyone’s lips. He managed to pop up with the 94th minute goal that now sees Millwall into the FA Cup fifth round for the second time in three seasons. He also had a major role in Jake Cooper’s goal as it was his drilled shot which ricocheted off Jordan Pickford and then onto Cooper’s arm.
Both Shaun Hutchinson and Jake Cooper are known men from set pieces for Millwall, but Murray Wallace is now also proving to be a threat. His goal against Everton was his third of the season and you would not be surprised if he adds a couple more before the end of the season.
READ:Murray Wallace on THAT goal
The most intimidating stadium in Britain
A hostile atmosphere was met by hostile weather in what turned out to be a tasty FA Cup tie. 17,000 Millwall fans filled out The Den and despite the noise of the thundering rain, every voice was heard throughout the 90 minutes.
Jordan Archer mentioned in the week, that when The Den is at full throttle they are the 12th man and the fans played a vital role in their impressive cup run in 2017 which saw them beat Bournemouth, Watford and Leicester on their way to the quarter-finals.
It was much more of the same against Everton. At every decision, every tackle a deafening roar happened and when Wallace notched in a winner the noise generated from The Den left ripples in the Thames.
Fine line between cheating and luck
Millwall were one of the eleven championship clubs to openly write to the EFL voicing their discontent with Marcelo Bielsa’s spying tactics.
Harris labelled the spygate as the being “completely disrespectful to other teams and the spirit of the game in this country.”
However, Harris was caught by the BBC cameras doing some meddling of his own. After Jake Cooper’s controversial goal, the Millwall manager was seen to be screaming up to the control room to get the replay of the goal off the big screen as Marco Silva was asking for it to be used as VAR.
Some people may call this dishonest by the Lions all-time leading goal scorer but he will think he was just playing the luck into his teams hands. Whether it is cheating to abuse your home advantage by controlling replays is up to the EFL to decide.
READ: Player Ratings from Millwall's FA Cup win
Millwall and the FA Cup
Millwall have a knack of performing well in the FA Cup as history shows they never shy away going on a cup run.
Many will remember their triumphant 2004 final against Manchester United, which saw them beat Sunderland in dramatic fashion in the semi-finals with the likes of Neil Harris, Tim Cahill and Denis Wise all in the lineup.
Some will remember their 2013 semi-final against Wigan at Wembley. Last ditch goals from John Marquis and Danny Shittu in the fourth round and quarter-final witnessed them defeat the odds and reach semi-finals.
Nearly all will remember their 2017 run which saw them scalp three premier league teams at The Den. Tottenham Hotspur ended their run in the quarter-finals, but it reminded everyone of how well Millwall perform in the FA Cup.
We may be seeing more of the same in 2019, we will just have to wait and see.
Does Marco has a point or is it a case of sour grapes?
THAT controversial goal was all Marco Silva wanted to discuss post match.
In the age of VAR it seems quite baffling how or why it wasn't use.
It obviously aided Millwall, (much to our delight), but had it been on the other foot I'm sure we'd be making just as much of a song and dance about it.
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