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April 16 2024 11.19am

Millwall 3 - 2 Palace

Mon Apr 21 2003 - League

The South London derby was won by Millwall who beat Crystal Palace by three goals to two.

Match Stats

Ground: The Den (Attendance: 10560)

Millwall: Warner, Lawrence (Cahill, 52), Ryan, Nethercott, Ward, Ifill, Livermore, Wise, Roberts, Harris (Claridge, 82), McCammon

Subs not used: Gueret, Braniff, Craig

Bookings: McCammon, Wise

Goals: Harris 39 (p), McCammon 43, Cahill 74

Palace: Kolinko, Butterfield, Granville, Powell, Mullins, Gray (Watson, 45), Routledge, Derry, Thomson (Williams, 88), Black, Freedman

Subs not used: Berthelin, Borrowdale, Hunt

Goals: Freedman 22, Roberts 49 (og)

Referee: P Prosser (Gloucestershire)

Dougie Freedman put Crystal Palace 1-0 up before Millwall scored two goals just before half-time.

Four minutes after the interval it was all square again when former Eagle Andy Roberts put the ball past his own keeper.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, Tim Cahill scored the winner for the home side on 74 minutes.

Alex Kolinko reacted well to save a Neil Harris drive from 20 yards after just three minutes and shortly after had another effort wide as did Paul Ifill.

But in the 22nd minute, Freedman got the ball on the right of the penalty box, skipped inside and fired a low shot into the bottom left corner to give Palace the lead.

Eight minutes before the break, Ifill looked offside as he ran onto a ball into the box. Kolinko ran out, missed the ball and clattered him. The referee pointed to the spot for a penalty and Harris put it away.

Mark McCammon headed Millwall into an undeserved lead two minutes before half-time as he took advantage of poor marking from a corner.

Four minutes into the second period, Palace fought back and drew level when Tommy Black's surging run and cross from the left was put into his own net from two yards by a fat, greying, Roberts.

In the final 16 minutes, substitute Cahill scored the third goal which was thanks to more sloppy Palace defending at a corner.

Post match comments:

Steve Kember said: "We played some good stuff early on and I felt only 1-0 at half time flattered Millwall.

"We should have gone on and had a better advantage but had a debatable penalty given against us and went into the break behind.


We should have gone on and had a better advantage but had a debatable penalty given against us and went into the break behind
Steve Kember

"The penalty was debatable but to be fair they probably should have been awarded one in the second half when Neil Harris went down

"I can't help thinking that those two corners would have been easier to defend if I had the likes of Dele Adebola and Noel Whelan in the line up, but they were both injured and had to be left at the training ground. We missed their physical presence.

"We looked comfortable at 1-0 and Tommy Black had a couple of good chances but he didn't make the most of the opportunities and we suffered later in the match."

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