Millwall Holds Charlton to Draw Despite Red Card
Millwall rallied to secure a draw against 10-man Charlton, extending their unbeaten streak against their local rivals to 29 years.
Sonny Carey opened the scoring for the Addicks with his first goal for the club, striking the ball into the corner of the net during the first half.
However, the visitors faced a setback when Kayne Ramsay received a second yellow card with less than 20 minutes remaining. Millwall capitalized on this advantage, as they have often done in past encounters.
Ra'ees Bangura-Williams, who came off the bench, initially had a goal disallowed for handball but later netted the equalizer just two minutes before the end of normal time.
This result means Millwall has not lost to Charlton in their last 13 matchups, a streak dating back to the 1995-96 season when Alan Curbishley's side achieved a double over their rivals.
The first meeting between these two teams since July 2020 may have lacked early goalmouth action, but it was filled with passion and intensity, with both sides displaying relentless pace.
Charlton winger Rob Apter posed a threat from the outset, attempting a long-range shot that nearly found the net, clipping the bar after deflecting off a defender.
Charlton's goal came from a corner following that near miss. Goalkeeper Steven Benda punched away Conor Coventry's inswinger but the ball fell to Carey, who skillfully created space to fire a shot through a crowded box into the bottom corner.
The match took a critical turn after 74 minutes when Ramsay lunged late at Aidomo Emakhu, leading referee Bobby Madley to issue a red card.
Millwall took advantage of their numerical superiority and thought they had equalized when Bangura-Williams struck the ball into the top corner. However, the referee ruled the goal out for handball after observing the ball hit his hand prior to the finish.
Bangura-Williams was not to be denied a second time, as he completed a well-executed Millwall move. Joe Bryan's precise pass found Luke Cundle in the center, whose shot was parried back into the box by goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski. Bangura-Williams reacted swiftly to convert the rebound into the bottom-right corner.
Despite five minutes of added time, neither team was able to secure a winner, ensuring Millwall's dominance over Charlton continues into nearly three decades.
Post-match Reaction:
Charlton manager Nathan Jones: "I’m proud of the performance because it took a red card for us to draw the game. We were comfortable and I didn’t see us conceding today. Once we got the goal, I wanted us to get the next one, which we couldn’t do. It was going to take something—a set-play or a moment of madness to concede, and we got a moment of madness. When you are on a booking and you lunge in, you know you are risking something. You have to be cleverer than that. Top defenders stay on their feet and make people work for something; when they go to ground, it is a last resort or they know they can win it. It’s a learning curve for him. He’s a young boy with so much ability; he has been outstanding for us. That was categorically the turning point. We should have had six points from our last two home games, but we took one. We’re comfortable at this level."
Millwall manager Alex Neil: "Half-time was probably the angriest I’ve been since I’ve been here because we were poor in the first half. We were lacking in the basics. The sending off helped, but the turning point in our favor was when we added an extra man in the middle and took a striker off. We got a foothold in the game. It’s a constant dilemma I’ve had to face. Last season, playing a front two paid huge dividends for us, but having another midfielder out there made us look more dangerous. We deserved our goal. We know we can play better. If you’re not at your best, the key is to ensure you don’t lose. There is still some frustration for me because we should have performed better in the first half."