Following today’s clash between Aston Villa and Millwall, here are the instant reactions from both managers.
Aston Villa hosted Millwall at Villa Park for a 3pm kick off on Saturday December 9, with both sides playing out a scoreless draw.
Millwall manager Neil Harris will no doubt be the more pleased compared to Villa’s Steve Bruce as the hosts goalkeeper, Sam Johnstone, was arguably man of the match in the encounter with 16 efforts on goal in total and eight on target. Villa however managed 14 efforts in total, but a miserly one on target.
Villa remain in fifth place in the Championship table however, six points off the automatic spots.
Teams:
Aston Villa:
Johnstone, Hutton (Elmohamady 70), Samba (Ephick 78), Chester, Taylor, Snodgrass (Grealish 59), Whelan, Lansbury, Adomah, Onomah, Davis.
Substitutes:
Hogan, Steer, Hourihane, Bjarnason.
Millwall:
Martin, Romeo, Hutchinson, Cooper, Meredith, Wallace, Tunnicliffe, Saville, O’Brien (Williams 80), Morison (Elliott 82), Gregory.
Substitutes:
McLaughlin, Craig, Thompson, King, Twardek.
Speaking to the BBC’s cameras a short time after match day referee Andy Davies blew the final whistle, Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce explained.
‘I have to be honest, it was a struggle against a very decent Millwall side who put us under pressure. We’ll take a point. We didn’t have enough control and found it difficult. We have to play better than that. Sam Johnstone was easily our best player and he had to be but I’m really disappointed with how we played today. We gave it away too often and we looked sloppy and lethargic. There’s no excuses for that. Overall I got it wrong with my changes.’
Millwall manager Neil Harris in his comparitive interview explained.
‘I was delighted with my players’ performance from the first whistle to the last. I thought we unsettled a really good Aston Villa side and quietened a passionate home crowd. I think we dominated large parts of the game and limited Villa to very few chances. We were creative going forward and I think we are at a stage now where I can be a little bit critical, saying ‘we want more’.’
