MILLWALL played out an enthralling Boxing Day goalless draw with Ipswich Town at The Den.
Both sides had good chances to break the deadlock, but stubborn defending in both boxes meant the points were shared.
The Lions had to dig in deep late on to protect that point, with Ipswich pouring on expensive replacements, but stood firm in what was one of their best performances of the season.
For the majority of the match, they went toe-to-toe with a side many had tipped for automatic promotion and came away with a credible draw and a real display of their play-off credentials.
Heading into the match, the Tractor Boys were near the top of the division in nearly every stat Opta measures: chances created, fewest chances conceded, possession, pressing metrics, yet did not outmatch Millwall until the closing stages, when legs started to tire.
It was an important response from the depleted Lions, who had suffered consecutive losses for the first time this season in the week leading up and now have something to hold onto heading into another top-half clash with Bristol City at home on Monday.
Within the first minutes, the match had the air of an exciting, back-and-forth top-six encounter.
Ipswich nearly landed the first blow of the match. Leif Davies beat his marker for pace and put in a ball into the box that Azor Matusiwa badly miscued in a promising position, allowing Billy Mitchell to clear.
The Lions looked to hit back immediately – Alfie Doughty won the ball back and found Tristan Crama, who surged down the right past Camiel Neghli and put in a cross that took a deflection and was gathered by Christian Walton.
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Neil’s side were finding a lot of joy down the flanks, and their next ball came from an unlikely source. Jake Cooper put in a crunching challenge to halt an Ipswich counter in its tracks and continued forwards, exchanging passes with Neghli before putting in a low cross that came to Ivanovic, whose first-time, sweeping effort had to be pushed wide by a sprawling Walton.
Millwall’s front six kept causing problems, and in the ninth minute, Aidomo Emakhu won a free kick on the edge of the box that Neghli put into the wall.
They recycled the ball, and Doguhty curled in a first-time cross that Ivanovic nodded goalwards, but it bounced straight into Walton’s hands.
The Lions’ spell of dominance continued. Neghli put in a cross that was just about headed over the bar by an Ipswich defender, and from the resulting corner, Taylor connected powerfully with the ball and forced out a good save by Walton.
The match turned for the next ten minutes, with Ipswich on top as they attacked the away end.
Marcelino Nunez came alive and dictated proceedings, winning a free kick after beating a few players in the 18th minute, then hitting the wall with the resulting set-piece.
A minute later, he curled in a cross that Ivan Azon headed straight at Max Crocombe.
Ipswich had all of the ball and the pressure, but the best they could muster was a Leif Davis cross that neither Kasey McAteer nor Azon could get proper contact on, and a Jens Cajuste long-range effort that went wide.
Nunez took another free kick in the 27th minute, but Crocombe easily gathered.
The match continued at a quick pace, with both sides looking to attack directly with pace, but dogged defending in both boxes denied either side from creating clear-cut chances – with Aidomo Emakhu earning the appreciation of The Den for sprinting back in transition to put in a challenge that prevented Ipswich from getting a shot off.
Neghli’s long-range effort was the sole shot either side had in the closing stage of the half, with the referee’s whistle bringing an end to an enthralling opening 45 minutes.
Ipswich had the brighter start to the second half, with Cedric Kipre having a shot blocked.
Millwall soon found some joy of their own, and in the 56th minute, Ivanovic forced out a sprawling save from Walton with a volley from well outside the box.
A minute later, Ipswich were up the other end of the pitch, and McAteer fired it in for Azon, who could not sort his feet out from just yards out.
Both sides still had to mostly settle for long-range chances, with Philogene hitting one from range that bounced into Crocombe’s hands.
Millwall had a more clear-cut chance in the 65th minute, capitalising on their height advantage at set-pieces, with Cooper flicking a free kick on for Crama to chip into the box. It came to Emakhu at the back post, who volleyed just over the bar.
As had become the theme of the match, Ipswich responded quickly, with Philogene twisting and turning inside the box before forcing Crocombe into a sharp save.
As legs tired, and Ipswich introduced expensive reinforcements from the bench, they started to gain the upper hand in the match.
Substitute Sindre Egeli flashed two efforts past the post, Nunez volleyed one over the bar, and Jack Clarke’s ball just evaded the stretching legs of Chuba Akpom.
Millwall had the ball in the net in the 81st minute after Caleb Taylor drove forward in transition and found Neghli, but the winger was well offside.
Millwall: 4-4-2: Crocombe; Crama, Taylor, Cooper, Bryan (Sturge 82); Emakhu (Ballo 72), Mitchell (Leonard 72), Doughty, Neghli (Bangura-Williams 82); Langstaff, Ivanovic
Substitutes: Benda, McNamara, Matthews, Harding, Howland
Ipswich Town: 4-2-3-1: Walton; Furlong, O’Shea, Kipre, Davis; Cajuste (Taylor 71), Matusiwa; McAteer (Egeli 65), Nunez (Burns 87), Philogene (Clarke 71); Azon (Akpom 65)
Substitutes: Palmer, Young, Johnson, Greaves
Referee: Tim Robinson
