Ace Olise spares Butland blushes

Millwall 1 C Palace 2

PATRICK VIEIRA praised matchwinner Michael Olise for bailing out calamity keeper Jack Butland.

Ex-england stopper Butland’s howler gave derby hosts Millwall an early lead.

French winger Olise (below) levelled with a cracker after the break and carved out the winner for Jeanphilippe Mateta.

Vieira said: “We wanted to win to give support to Jack. We’d conceded with a mistake from him but that’s the way we play. This can happen.

“Michael struggled a bit in the first half but we saw a very different player in the second and his goal showed his great quality.”

The depleted Lions started brightly and punished Butland for miscontrolling the ball, which Benik Afobe rolled into an empty net.

Olise had a strong penalty appeal rejected but equalised immediately after half-time, cutting in off the right flank to curl a peach into the far corner.

It was all Palace now as Olise struck a post and then set up Mateta to head the winner on 68 minutes.

Millwall boss Rowett groaned: “We handed them two goals, which were very disappointing from our point of view.”

Most disappointing, Millwall’s loanee from Chelsea Conor Gallagher was on the receiving end of homophobic chants.