Harris Criticizes Millwall’s First-Half Performance in Sunderland Draw

Millwall manager Neil Harris stated that his players failed to execute the “Millwall basics” in the first half before they rallied to secure a last-gasp 1-1 draw against Sunderland. Femi Azeez’s equalizer, scored deep into added time, salvaged a point for the hosts at The Den, after Aaron Connolly had put the Black Cats ahead in the first half. “At half-time I let them have it properly, because that’s what it deserved,” Harris told BBC Radio London. He explained, “In the first half we didn’t play with a Millwall identity or a Millwall intensity – the basics are: you win your duels, you win your headers, you win your races, you win your tackles and you play forward and run forward at the right times.” Harris continued, “Then [in the] second half we did. We played forward and ran forward, we played round, we played through, we played over and we created chances.” He added, “We were a threat on set-plays and that’s what a Millwall identity is, and we had it in abundance in the second half.” Millwall finished the match with five attackers as Harris’s team pushed for the equalizer, which was ultimately a combination between Azeez and fellow substitute Aidomo Emakhu. Commenting on his substitutions, Harris remarked: “Sometimes just [throwing] caution to wind. When you’re behind, sometimes you can do that.” He further elaborated, “We were trying to get five players against their back four, trying to overload the midfield area and you just hope that you get a moment of quality and we had that.”