Millwall vs Swansea City. Sky Bet Championship.
The Den.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Millwall and Swansea at The Den as a goal from Andre Ayew and two from Jamal Lowe ended a run of four straight defeats for Steve Cooper's men and got their promotion charge back on track
Saturday 10 April 2021 17:49, UK
Swansea ended a miserable run of four straight defeats without scoring and got their promotion charge back on track with a 3-0 win over Millwall.
Andre Ayew scored the Swans' first goal since March 13 when he struck on the stroke of half-time (45+1), and Jamal Lowe made it two after the break, ending a 17-game dry spell of his own (76).
The forward then thumped in a second nine minutes later, to put the seal on a much-needed, confidence-boosting win for Steve Cooper's men (85).
Victory for Swansea keeps them in fourth and also ensured Norwich could not achieve automatic promotion this weekend. Meanwhile, Millwall's three-game winning streak comes to an end, but they stay ninth, 10 points outside the play-off places, with five games left to play.
With Millwall on a run of three straight wins and Swansea on a run of four straight defeats, it seemed as though the narrative of the game was set before the first ball had even been kicked.
As the visitors grew into the game, their hosts kept their shape well and forced them back towards their own half, though there were several occasions when long balls forward were almost put to good use by Lowe after his runs in behind weren't tracked.
Then, in first-half stoppage-time, Ayew ended the Swans' miserable barren run in front of goal, as they finished the half with a flourish, setting himself up and brilliantly arrowing in after being located by Conor Hourihane on the edge of the box.
Within minutes of the restart, the Lions went close to equalising when Jake Cooper's towering header came back off the post with Freddie Woodman beaten and they later had a questionable penalty shout turned down after Ryan Manning was caught by Murray Wallace.
As the final whistle approached, Swansea's lead remained narrow, but they made up for the creativity they had been lacking in recent weeks when Lowe doubled the lead and set them on course for victory with a smart finish after he raced onto Wayne Routledge through ball.
And the former Wigan man rounded off a welcome victory by shifting the ball onto his right after Ayew's pass into his feet and thumping in a third shortly afterwards, ensuring the promotion push got back on track in style.
Millwall's Gary Rowett: "I don't think we ever really focused on that, we never really looked at that as an option that's within our grasp. We just wanted to keep the season going and see if someone slipped up in those positions. We didn't do our bit, which was perform as well as we could.
"We knew it was a big ask, to go and beat Swansea, they're a good side, but I thought they played well today and if it means that, realistically, that gap is too big, we've just got to finish the season as strongly as we can. I spoke to Steve before and we both agreed that it's been a tough season in many ways, so I can forgive the players every now and then for maybe not performing at the same level that we have done in recent weeks."
Swansea's Steve Cooper: "I thought we were a real attacking threat all game. I think Wayne (Routledge), coming into the team, was excellent, Andre has scored at a brilliant time, just before half-time, and he was a real nuisance for the Millwall defenders. He was taking up areas where he was perhaps not getting the ball, but he was dragging people out of areas to exploit spaces elsewhere.
"But Jamal, brilliant, two excellent goals. I haven't seen his chance back, but I could see he was in an excellent position in the first half and it's not affected him and he then scores two. To have a character like that is a sign of a really good player. Everybody contributed - you look at the back four, who were a real strong unit defensively, Freddie (Woodman) made an important save and his distribution was good."
Sky Sports' Don Goodman:
"I had already given it to him before the two goals but I'm so pleased for him. He has been subjected to online abuse and has had a barren spell in front of goal. He could've let his head drop after missing a few chances in the first half but he didn't and he deserves so much credit for that performance."
Swansea are next in action at 6pm on Tuesday, April 13 when they travel to Hillsborough to face Sheffield Wednesday, while Millwall travel to the Brentford Community Stadium to take on Brentford at 3pm on Saturday, April 17.
