Millwall 1-0 Stoke City: Potters’ fury over last-gasp spot-kick

By Jack James

MILLWALL 1

Ivanovic 90+4 (pen)

STOKE CITY 0

Stoke City manager Mark Robins was fuming at the penalty decision that condemned his side to a last-gasp defeat at Millwall.

A match largely devoid of quality had a dramatic finish thanks to Mihailo Ivanovic converting from 12 yards in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

The win allowed the Lions to get back to winning ways after their midweek loss at Leeds United, but for the Potters, it was a blow in their attempts to avoid being dragged into the relegation zone.

However, the focus for Robins afterwards was the penalty decision.

Poor

He said: “It’s never a penalty.

“It’s never a penalty in a million years and I do not get it.

“He [Josh Coburn] attaches himself to our player, threads his arm through our player’s arm, grabs him, rolls, drags him down with him and then he [the referee] has got a decision to make, but the decision isn’t a decision.

“From our perspective, it was a poor game, it was low on quality, low on chances and I think the quality that was in the game, and I don’t think I’m being disingenuous by saying it, was from us.”

Match action

Wouter Burger had the game’s first opening for Stoke in the ninth minute when his header from Lewis Baker’s corner looped over the bar as the visitors started the livelier of the two sides.

In contrast, Millwall were slow to get going and were comfortably held at arm’s length.

Stoke were not able to make the most of their hosts’ lethargy in the first half-hour, however, with chances in short supply.

It took 40 minutes for either team to have a shot on target, but Joe Bryan’s effort for Millwall from just outside the box was one that was easily fielded by Stoke goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.

It would have been understandable if both men with the gloves were left feeling chilly by half-time, given how little either had to do.

Second half

The Lions came close to warming up their fans three minutes into the second half when Coburn was inches away from getting on the end of Aidomo Emakhu’s ball across goal.

It had been a while since Stoke had looked like scoring, but they suddenly had a flurry of chances just after the hour mark, starting with Bae Jun-ho crashing an effort from a tricky angle against the bar.

A minute later, a mistake by Billy Mitchell led to Baker prodding the ball through for Burger, but the previously under-employed Lukas Jensen saved well.

The match had come to life with Johansson holding on to Casper De Norre’s volley from outside the area at the other end.

There was then a skirmish between Millwall sub Aaron Connolly and Stoke’s Junior Tchamadeu that saw both players booked after squaring up to each other.

Just when it looked as though the match was petering out, Millwall were awarded a penalty in stoppage time when Ben Wilmot was judged to have held back Coburn.

Up stepped Ivanovic, and the Serbian calmly sent Johansson the wrong way to win it for the Lions with what was virtually the last kick.