Report: Bristol City 0-2 Millwall

Tom Bradshaw would know little about the opener as it flicked off his boot at pace, while Millwall capitalised on the break with Mason Bennett doubling their advantage in the second half.

City looked off the pace but came closest when Nahki Wells’ free-kick was turned on to the post.

However, Famara Diédhiou received a second yellow card and therefore a subsequent red inside the final ten minutes, after attempting an overhead kick but caught his opponent in the process.

The result leaves City eighth in the Championship on 30 points, two outside the top six.

Dean Holden made three changes for the visit of Gary Rowett’s Lions to Ashton Gate, with Han-Noah Massengo returning to the starting XI for the first time since the start of the season. Callum O’Dowda moved to the bench but would enter play to mark his 150^th club appearance. Elsewhere, Zak Vyner and Antoine Semenyo were switched for Adrian Mariappa and Taylor Moore. Under-23s midfielder Zac Smith also made up the matchday squad, as he earned a place on the Robins bench for the first time in his young career.

Holden’s men were up against a Millwall side without a win in their previous nine outings this season so the message would have been to hit them early. With that in mind, City caused a moment of panic in the Lions’ box when Mariappa headed on Tommy Rowe’s free kick but Wells couldn’t keep control of the ball on the run before the visitors cleared.

But it wouldn’t take long for the travelling side to strike first blood from a free kick of their own. Shaun Williams’ initial delivery was blocked by the City wall though only as far as Ryan Leonard. His shot took a wicked deflection off Bradshaw’s boot – he’d have known little about it as the ball was fired in – but it had enough on it to beat Dan Bentley.

A Wells free kick was pushed on to the post by Bartosz Bialkowski shortly after, as the Robins sought an equaliser but it was the closest they came in a first half which lacked quality.

Bialkowski did well to gather the ball at the second attempt, with the ball millimetres from crossing the line though there was no indication from goal-line technology to indicate it had crossed the line, to City’s disappointment.

Bennett wasted a chance when he ghosted in at the back post but fired over on the stretch, while City’s play was sluggish and passes incomplete on a number of occasions as they struggled to put the away team under pressure as the half progressed; Gary Rowett’s side would go in at the break the happier side.

Holden made a double, attacking change soon enough when Diédhiou and O’Dowda replaced Ádám Nagy and Mariappa, respectively, but the visitors would double their advantage on the counter-attack.

Massengo was the player caught on the ball in midfield and the Lions broke forward with Leonard. He played the ball to his left where Bennett drifted inside a struck a curling effort beyond Bentley’s dive.

Enter Semenyo for the last 20 minutes with Tomas Kalas the player to make way as Holden switched his system to find a way back into the game.

However, the task was made all the more difficult when Diédhiou was dismissed after he received a second yellow card. It came as he attempted an overhead kick but the referee saw it as a high foot.

Bentley made a smart block to deny Millwall from grabbing a third goal on the night before young Opi Edwards replaced Chris Martin.

But even with five minutes of added time, City couldn’t create and now refocus ahead of Friday night’s trip to Preston North End.

The trip to Deepdale (December 18th, 8pm KO) will be broadcast live on Sky and therefore, due to EFL regulations, will not be streamed on Robin TV.

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