CRASH& BURN
Rowett’s Wall collapse
GARY ROWETT admitted his Millwall players failed to cope with the pressure after they blew the play-offs in extraordinary circumstances.
The Lions were cruising at half-time with a 3-1 lead until Ben Brereton Diaz
(above) inspired a sensational comeback for Blackburn.
Millwall’s position in the top six seemed certain before this crazy second half at The Den left them on their knees at the finish.
Manager Rowett said: “We were really in control at half-time. We needed to be calm, controlled and disciplined in the second half.
“That’s the disappointment. That’s the game. You must handle the big moments. You need to show an element of control and calmness.”
Duncan Watmore fired home the opener as his strike crashed off the bar and went just over the line.
Tom Bradshaw was controversially denied by an offside flag before Blackburn levelled against the run of play on 22 minutes thanks to Adam Wharton’s stunner.
Rovers gifted Millwall a 37th-minute lead as a miscommunication between Aynsley Pears and Harry Pickering allowed Watmore to slot home.
And two minutes later Oliver Burke drilled home low and hard and it appeared to be game over.
Blackburn, who in the end only missed out on the play-offs themselves on goal difference, had to go for it in the second half. They did exactly that.
Joe Rankin-Costello pulled one back on 51 minutes before Brereton Diaz levelled matters 12 minutes later.
The Chilean ace, who is leaving the club this summer, then grabbed the winner three minutes from the end.
Rovers boss Jon Dahl Tomasson said: “I’m out of energy now. I’m gutted.”