MILLWALL put up a valiant effort against south London rivals Crystal Palace, but were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by the Eagles after losing the penalty shoot-out 4.2
A much-rotated and depleted Lions travelled to Selhurst Park and showed plenty of intent, coming close to scoring twice before eventually conceding a late goal from a corner as legs tired.
Neil made a triple change shortly after, which wrested back the momentum for his side, and Jack Howland curled in a corner that Ryan Leonard glanced into the net to send the game to penalties.
However, they fell just short in the shoot-out, with the Eagles perfect from the spot-kick, while Aidomo Emakhu and Tristan Crama had their efforts saved.
Regardless, it was an impressive performance from the Lions in their second derby in three days – and they were much improved from their showing against Charlton on the weekend.
Summer signings Thierno Ballo and Derek Mazuo-Sacko were excellent, as were Ra’ees Bangura-Williams, Tristan Crama, and Caleb Taylor, who handled Palace’s front three well.
The scale of Millwall’s task was evident from the first minute, when Yeremy Pino cut inside and forced a sprawling save from Steven Benda, who got down to his right well to keep the ball out.
After the initial chance, the Lions looked well up for the occasion – Alex Neil had them pressing aggressively man-to-man, a risky strategy that made the Eagles uncomfortable at times, and restricted them mostly to possession in their half, while the young midfield duo of Derek Mazuo-Sacko and Dan Kelly were holding up well against a Premier League unit. Crama, however, was the star of the opening exchanges, stepping out frequently from the centre of defence to cut out Eagles’ attacks and win the ball back.
The Eagles did have a half-chance in the fifteenth minute when Daniel Munoz got the better of Zak Sturge and fired in a low ball which deflected off Kelly into Romain Esse’s path, but the Scottish midfielder recovered well to put it out for a corner.
The Lions, meanwhile, had some chances, with Neghli getting in behind in the 22nd minute and firing in a low cross towards Mihailo Ivanovic that was just about deflected clear.
Kelly, who was having a good game, picked up an injury while trying to burst through on goal, and had to be replaced by Thierno Ballo, with Bangura-Williams sliding back into a deeper role.
Palace started to gain a greater measure of control of the game in the following five minutes or so. In the 26th minute, Will Hughes drove through midfield before spraying it out to Borna Sosa, whose low cross bounced off a defender and sat up for Munoz to head at the back post, but Benda made himself big and made the save.
Two minutes later, Sosa passed it to Pino in the box, who took a touch and then fired wide from a tight angle.
Millwall rode out the pressure and started to apply some of their own, with Sturge winning the ball high up in the 32nd minute and then driving on goal before spreading it to Ivanovic, who fired over from inside the box.
A minute later, Neghli was put through on goal by Ballo after Bangura-Williams won the goal, but the winger put his effort just wide of the right post.
Millwall’s chances kept coming. In the 39th minute, Harding floated the ball in, and Ivanovic’s glancing header forced out a low save from Benitez.
In the 45th minute, Mazuo-Sacko played a neat one-two with Ballo on the right flank before firing in a cross that bounced to Sturge at the back post, who forced out another save from Benitez.
The Lions ended the half looking the likeliest of the two teams to score, a real credit to Neil’s side, given numerous personnel changes and the unfamiliar system.
Neil opted to make a change at half, replacing Ivanovic up top with Josh Coburn, while Glasner replaced Esse, who had been marked out of the game by Caleb Taylor, with Christantus Uche.
There were fewer chances in the second half – with the Eagles looking more solid, while still being handled well by Millwall’s three centre-backs, with a Guehi header wide from a corner in the 53rd minute the closest they came in the opening stages.
Coburn was proving to be a handful with his physicality and aerial prowess, winning a duel and flicking it on to Ballo, whose deflected effort rolled to Benitez.
The Lions really should have taken the lead in the 66th minute, with Ballo nicking the ball off of Hughes’ foot, before driving into the box and floating an effort for Coburn, whose right-footed strike from yards out bounced off his head before going out for a goal kick.
Millwall’s legs started to tire, and Palace started to get closer to the breakthrough. In the 71st minute, Richards put the ball over the top for Mateta to run on to, who shrugged off Crama for one of the first times in the game, before rounding the keeper and having his effort cleared off the line by Taylor.
From the resulting set-piece, Uche headed it towards the six-yard box, Mateta trapped it, and despite pressure from three Millwall players managed to flick it on, and Richards reacted first to fire it in.
Neil made a triple change, bringing on Jack Howland, Aidomo Emakhu, and Ryan, and the subsititutes provided a spark the Lions needed to get back into the game.
Crama put Emakhu in behind in the 88th minute, who had his effort blocked.
He was in again a minute later, this time after beating Justin Devenny for pace, and his cross was nearly turned into his own net by Maxence Lacroix.
Millwall found the equaliser from the ensuing corner, with Howland curling it in towards the front post and Leonard rising and glancing the ball into the back of the net.
The Eagles had a late chance to prevent penalties, with Kamada slipping Munoz in, who cut it back to Mateta for what looked to be an easy tap in, but the French striker skewed his effort wide.
Crystal Palace were up first in the shoot-out, and were perfect from the spot, with Mateta, Richards, Devenny, and Kamada all scoring, while Leonard and Harding were the only two to convert for the Lions.
Millwall: 3-4-3 – Benda; Grant (Leonard 79), Taylor, Crama; Sturge, Mazuo-Sacko, Kelly (Ballo 23), Harding; Neghli (Emakhu 79), Ivanovic (Coburn 46), Bangura-Williams (Howland 79)
Unused Substitutes: Coleman, Cooper, Bryan, Matthews
Crystal Palace: 3-4-3 – Benitez; Guehi (Richards 61), Lacroix, Canvot; Sosa (Lerma 71), Kamada, Hughes, Munoz; Pino (Devenny 71), Esse (Uche 46), Mateta.
Unused Substitutes: Henderson, Mitchell, Clyne, Rodney, Cardines.
Referee: John Busby