Slick Swans devour Lions as Millwall lose their bite

THE Millwall lion has lost its roar. Manager Neil Harris said as much when he reflected on a third straight Championship defeat. This hurt. Not only did Millwall have an extra man on the pitch after Courtney BakerRichardson was sent off after five minutes for a horrendous, late lunge on Shaun Williams, they were also 1-0 up with less than half an hour to play after Murray Wallace’s header. It was still enough time to throw the game away. Kyle Naughton scored the equaliser before Oli McBurnie (below) bagged his fourth of the season to give Graham Potter confidence his young Swansea side have the resilience to fight until the end. For Harris, it signalled a change in Millwall’s identity when playing at The Den. Yes, this was only their second defeat at home in 22 games — the last coming against Fulham in April — but it was the way they folded in front of their own fans that left Harris fuming. ‘My players will have to respond for the criticism coming their way for three defeats in six days,’ he said. ‘I have had some harsh words with individuals and as a group. You can’t legislate for what happened. We have to get back to stop making individual errors and we have to get back to that horrible Millwall side to play against at The Den.’ A tough game against Leeds after the international break awaits. ‘We can’t ask for a better game than Leeds United at home,’ Harris said. Potter, in charge of his seventh game in English football after seven years managing in Sweden, deserves credit. He sent on Jefferson Montero four minutes after Wallace put Millwall in front. It worked wonders, with the Ecuador winger assisting twice to set up Naughton after a clever run, then McBurnie with an unselfish pass across goal which the striker finished. Montero was loaned out to Getafe last season but made just four appearances in La Liga after injury. The 28-year-old had offers to move elsewhere in the summer but Potter is glad he stayed put. ‘He’s been fantastic to work with. He’s had problems over the last few years with injuries but when he’s like that he’s a joy to watch in terms of his attributes and ability. He can play in any league and he’s brilliant for us.’