REPORT: Preston North End 2-4 Millwall - Southwark News (2024)

MILLWALL ended the start of their campaign in style as they picked up a 4-2 win against Preston North End at Deepdale.

The Lions had only won once on the road before their trip to Lancashire, but they were 2-0 up inside the opening 16 minutes of the match thanks to Zian Flemming’s quick-fire brace. However, the hosts managed to fight their way back into the match thanks to goals from Andrew Hughes and Ched Evans, levelling the scores.

Preston looked the likelier of the two sides to go ahead, but Millwall ended up back in front in the 64th minute when Flemming snatched his hat-trick goal. Charlie Cresswell went on to wrap up the win with 18 minutes to play, heading in Scott Malone’s corner from close range.

Match details

Millwall were keen to show that they weren’t messing around at Deepdale and took the lead after just three minutes. Andreas Voglsammer’s powerful cross from the right flank found Zian Flemming in the penalty box, allowing him to hold up the ball with his back to goal, swivel around and fire it into the bottom left corner to make it 0-1.

Preston looked for an immediate response, with Ched Evans the clear outlet in the final third. He was presented with two chances soon after, heading into the palms of George Long in the 11th minute from point-blank range.

In the 15th minute, Liam Lindsay ended up bringing down Tom Bradshaw on the edge of the penalty area, picking up the first yellow card of the game. It looked to be the perfect range for Flemming, which is exactly what it was, as the Dutchman’s low effort fizzed past Freddie Woodman and into the back of the net.

Just four minutes later, Preston finally found their response, albeit in a fortuitous fashion. Robbie Brady’s free-kick clipped the wall, with the hosts winning a corner that pinballed around the box. In the end, Browne managed to prod the ball into the back of the net, albeit that it may go down as a Long own-goal.

Millwall began to look vulnerable and, in the end, caved in in the 27th minute. A cross from the left flank was met by the head of Evans, who diverted the ball into the ground and past Long to level the scores. The Lions had already surrendered the lead and truthfully were lucky to go into the break level after another good chance for Evans shortly before half-time.

The Lilywhites went in search of their third goal immediately after the restart, with Millwall needing to put in a number of good blocks to prevent them from testing Long. Soon after, Evans was set up by McCann for a low shot which he fired wide, while the midfielder went on to test the Lions’ goalkeeper from the edge of the box.

Boss Gary Rowett responded by bringing on Scott Malone for George Honeyman, switching to a 5-2-3 for the final 38 minutes of the match. It did little to nullify Evans, however, who broke down the right flank before firing a low, curling effort well wide of the target.

Just as the tempo began to drop, Millwall’s star man came up with the goods once again to put them back ahead. Danny McNamara’s low cross beat everyone in the centre of the box, rolling towards the feet of Flemming. The attacker managed to bring it out from underneath him, compose himself and fire it into the back of the net from close range to grab his hat-trick shortly after the hour-mark.

The Lions weren’t done there, however. With 72 minutes on the clock, Malone fired a powerful cross from the left flank towards Bradshaw, who flicked it on into the path of Charlie Cresswell. The towering centre-back rushed in to head the ball into the back of the net to restore their two-goal lead.

Preston were limited to long-range effort in the final stages of the game as Millwall ran out the clock with substitutions and a slower style of play, helping them pick up a fabulous win on the road.

Preston: 3-4-1-2: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Potts, Ledson, Browne, Brady; McCann; Evans, Jakobsen

Millwall: 4-2-3-1: Long; McNamara, Cresswell, Cooper, Wallace; Mitchell, Saville; Voglsammer, Flemming, Honeyman; Bradshaw

Takeaways

Hat-trick hero

Millwall don’t get too many hat-trick scorers, but having two in less than a month is a real rarity.

Flemming added his name to that list, taking his total for the season up to eight goals, a staggering tally given that he missed a number of games at the start of the season.

No denying how much of a talent he is, one of the biggest that the Lions have had in years.

Cresswell finds his groove

Many questioned Cresswell’s defending in recent weeks, albeit that he has improved massively since coming back into the side, but nobody can question his attacking threat.

The Leeds loanee knows how to attack a ball. He’s a physical presence and an aerial master. The fact that his goal against Preston was his fourth of the season speaks volumes.

An important cog in Millwall’s back line.

You don’t always need control

Millwall were absolutely wild in this match. They had next to no control until the end of the game yet ended up running out as big winners.

It shows that possession isn’t always the defining factor, neither is defending. Sometimes, perhaps even often, attacking quality and ruthlessness is the biggest part in rising up the table.

The Lions showed all of that today.

Photo: Millwall FC