Player ratings v Millwall as heroic 9/10 star makes up for 4/10 trio

In what could have been a dismal evening for City following their relegation in midweek, Gary Rowett’s side performed well, coming close to clinching a first victory in eight and denting the visitors’ promotion hopes.

Souttar, making his first City appearance in 853 days and back after a nightmare injury run with Achilles and knee problems, was the star man on the night, defending with grit and then popping up at the other end to bundle in Luke Thomas’ cross.

It looked like being the winner, but Macauley Langstaff arrowed in a shot as the clock hit 90 to earn a share of the points for Millwall.

Following relegation, the half-empty stands at the King Power Stadium suggested there was apathy among many supporters.

But there was still lingering anger there too. A ‘King Power out’ banner was flown overhead before kick-off while every Harry Winks touch was booed.

It must have felt like the ideal fixture for promotion-chasing Millwall, against an already-relegated side who have been accused throughout the season of lacking care.

But the first half lacked the intensity expected of a side chasing a Premier League dream, with not a single shot on target registered during the first 45 minutes.

In the big moments, defenders did well to protect their goalkeepers. Souttar used his forehead to flick a Ryan Leonard shot into the side-netting and then, at the other end, it was Leonard in the way as Luke Thomas connected with Oliver Skipp’s cross, the left-back looking to score a second goal in as many games.

But City goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk did have to be alert at the start of the second half. His first save was excellent, diving across to deny Mihailo Ivanovic with his legs from point-blank range. Not long after, he tipped over Thierno Ballo’s header.

In between those efforts, Millwall were perhaps lucky to avoid a red card, with Jake Cooper going in high and studs up onto Abdul Fatawu’s shin.

As the game went on, it felt like it would be Millwall pushing but instead City took the lead. Jeremy Monga fed Thomas and he clipped a ball to Souttar, who rose above two men to bundle in.

With City defending well, it had seemed like being the winner. But Leonard’s flick found Langstaff in the box and the substitute’s strike found the bottom corner. Here’s how we scored the players.

Jakub Stolarczyk: He was unfortunate not to get a clean sheet. He made two excellent saves to deny Ivanovic and Ballo and claimed crosses well too before Langstaff’s effort beat him late on. 8

Hamza Choudhury: He put in a huge tackle on Coburn early on, and made a similarly crunching challenge in the second half that was bizarrely punished. There was a period in the first half where his passing fell apart, but he was fine otherwise. 6

Harry Souttar: His first game for 16 months and he was the best player on the pitch. The big centre-back defended the box brilliantly, winning countless headers and making a couple of timely blocks, and then attacked Thomas’s cross well to bundle in his first goal for the club. He seems like the sort of player Rowett would have liked to have for all 14 matches. 9

Jannik Vestergaard: Defending the box he was superb, as good if not better than Souttar, reading crosses expertly. But away from the box, he was ropey, getting caught out of position and playing some careless passes. 7

Luke Thomas: Defensively there were a few moments where he was beaten for pace and stood too far off his man, but none were costly. And he looked good going forward again, making good runs and clipping in a fine cross for the goal. 7

Harry Winks: His every touch was booed but it didn’t seem to bother him. He didn’t do anything special, but he kept the ball well. A couple of times defensively he misread play and got caught out of position. 5

Oliver Skipp: There was some good, some bad from the midfielder, but he picked up better positions going forward and delivered a good cross to Thomas for City’s best first-half chance. 6

Abdul Fatawu: There were a couple of nice surges, either through the middle or down his wing, but mostly this was a game where Fatawu tried to do too much and ultimately failed. He should probably have brought a red card against Cooper though. 4

Divine Mukasa: Another disappointing outing for a player who started his loan spell so brightly. He was just not quick enough on the ball here and so a few attacks broke down with him. 4

Bobby De Cordova-Reid: It felt like he was stationed too far to the left wing, and so was ignored. It felt like he had the right ideas when the ball did come his way, but he wasn’t involved nearly enough. 4

Patson Daka: He rushed the Millwall defenders into some dodgy passes, but there wasn’t much else to shout about, and nothing from an attacking perspective. He wasn’t helped by the poor performances of those just behind him. 5

Louis Page: There were a couple of really bright moments, especially in the way he carried the ball. He got into some positions in attack too. Promising. 7

Jeremy Monga: Played the right pass at the right time with the right weight to tee up Thomas for Souttar’s goal, but did frustrate in other moments when he ran into trouble. 6

Jordan James: With doubts he would ever play for the club again, it was nice for him to get 10 minutes, and he did make one barnstorming run. N/A

Stephy Mavididi: Looked out of sorts when he moved to the striker role. N/A

Bade Aluko: The right-back took up a left-wing position and didn’t really get involved. N/A

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