High-flying Derby held to goalless draw at the Den

Posted Wednesday, January 31, 2018 by PA

Ikechi Anya had a late goal ruled out as a frustrated Derby were denied a winner in a scrappy 0-0 draw against Millwall at the Den.

Anya thought he sprung the offside trap and slotted in the winner with six minutes left only to see the linesman raise his flag.

Striker Matej Vydra and Millwall winger Jed Wallace also came close to breaking the deadlock but neither were able to convert in a match low on clear-cut chances.

Derby have now won only one of their last four league matches but have not lost since the end of November and are unbeaten in 10 Championship games.

The Rams were quick to pile on the pressure from the get go. David Nugent made an explosive run through the middle and linked up with George Thorne, but his shot was saved comfortably by goalkeeper Jordan Archer.

Millwall responded soon after when Jake Cooper made a long pass from his own half which was met by Tom Elliott on the edge of the box. However, his powerful shot went straight into the hands of keeper Scott Carson.

The Lions had another chance five minutes later when Shane Ferguson whipped in a cross from the left but it missed Elliott, who dived to meet it in the six-yard box, by inches.

Derby launched a series of dangerous attacks mid-way through the first half. Millwall stopper Jordan Archer managed to palm away a threatening cross from Andreas Weimann but the ball rebounded into the possession of star striker Vydra.

However, the Lions defenders were quick to close him down with a terrific goal-saving block.

Moments later, Weimann broke away from the visitors down the middle but a lack of support from his teammates inside the box forced him to go for goal, and his effort was deflected out of harms way.

Millwall, spurred on by a vocal home crowd, grew in confidence but lacked the quality to unlock the defence with George Saville smacking a free-kick into the wall.

Both sides struggled to find the target at the beginning of the second half as Derby’s Tom Huddlestone and Millwall’s Elliot fired over the bar.

Millwall’s best chance of the evening came in the 78th minute when an unmarked Wallace opened up his body to shoot into the far corner but Carson reacted quickly to make the save.

And Derby thought they won it when Anya was slipped through from Cameron Jerome’s clever pass but the linesman denied him, and Derby, a crucial winner.