'Nice touches but no threat' - Millwall boss not impressed by Sunderland

Gary Rowett did not believe Sunderland deserved their point at Millwall, saying they had ‘nice touches’ but no real threat.

The two sides played out an incredibly physical clash at The Den, with Dennis Cirkin cancelling out Jake Cooper’s opener.

A 1-1 draw was fine reward for a young Sunderland side who played a game outside of their comfort zone on their opposition’s terms, and Tony Mowbray described it as an ‘unbelievable effort’ from his side.

Rowett, though, appeared to say that Sunderland’s performance had some fleeting moments of style but no real substance – and certainly no threat.

“If you’re a neutral bystander it was a competitive, end to end game where both teams more than played their part,” Millwall boss Rowett said after the game.

“If you view the game on possession and some really nice little touches and skill then Sunderland more than played their part in it.

“They had a 10-minute spell first half and probably a 10-minute spell second half where they make it difficult for you to get out to the ball. But I didn’t think they threatened our goal that much.

“Longy (Millwall goalkeeper George Long) has not had a save to make. They had one shot on target, the goal."

Rowett was also unhappy with the refereeing performance, as he claimed Millwall should have had a penalty and George Honeyman's disallowed goal should have stood.

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