Millwall looked set to take three points against Sunderland before a late Jack Clarke penalty
Millwall boss Joe Edwards said he was disappointed his side had been unable to hold onto their lead over Sunderland but added that the away side may have deserved the point for their ‘control of the game’.
The Black Cats started well at the Den but struggled to carve out clear chances and fell behind to a Kevin Nisbet volley shortly before half time. Sunderland mounted a lot of second-half pressure following a triple substitution from Tony Mowbray and eventually got their equaliser through a Jack Clarke penalty.
Edwards said he was thrilled with the way his side defended but that he felt there was work to be done in possession.
“I’m probably a bit frustrated,” he said.
“I think getting the first goal has been a big thing in the games that we’ve had so far. When we scored first in my first game at Sheffield Wednesday, the confidence really grew. And vice-versa in the other games where we’ve conceded [first].
“I thought Sunderland started the game well but then we grew and once we got the first goal I thought there was a noticeable change in the team. We looked confident.
“The fans really supported us well and it felt like we were building some nice momentum albeit they pretty much dominated possession throughout the game, we always posed a threat and looked confident in our defending. The way they use the width and the wide players in their team it causes everyone problems but I thought we dealt well with it.
“When you lead a game for so long and you don’t win, it feels disappointing but I think you have to respect they had a lot of control of the game and in the second half they mounted a lot of pressure as an away team. So for me it’s just areas where we can improve but I thought we did so well without the ball.
“I think we posed a threat on the break and in transition and we just have to keep bridging that gap where we can look after the ball a bit more so we don’t have to play at our absolute max just to take a point at home.”
Edwards said he would not criticise the decision to award a penalty for Ryan Leonard’s foul on Jack Clarke, having been left in some element of doubt himself from seeing two different angles.
“I’ve seen two angles,” Edwards said.
“I’ve seen an angle where it looks like a clear foul and then I’ve seen a different angle where Lenny gets a touch of the ball with his toe and you can see the line of the ball change. So if I’m saying that having seen two angles, I won’t get on the ref’s case too much as I don’t know what he sees.
“It’s a shame because we knew the threat that Clarke poses and we planned to defend like that, doubling up with Lenny and Brooke, and I thought for most of the game he always looked like a threat and we dealt with him very well and and he didn’t hurt us anywhere as near as he’s hurt some other teams.
“Really frustrating that such a marginal decision is what costs us two points.”
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