West Ham United demonstrated their resilience by twice fighting back to earn a 2-2 draw at Millwall on Saturday. Goals from substitutes Mohamadou Kante and Konstantinos Mavropanos salvaged a point for the league leaders after they had trailed twice at The Den.
The result keeps Nuno Espírito Santo's side top of the Championship with 14 points from seven games, extending their unbeaten run to seven matches. They had to do it the hard way, conceding a goal in each half before mounting a dramatic late comeback. The team's full fixtures list shows their next challenge is a home game against Queens Park Rangers on 9 October.
Caleb Taylor put the hosts ahead after 16 minutes, capitalising on a defensive lapse. West Ham dominated possession but struggled to break down a stubborn Millwall defence, and their task grew harder when Camiel Neghli doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time, finishing from a Lyndon Dykes assist.
Nuno made a double change at the break, introducing Pablo Felipe Pereira de Jesus and Kante. The alterations changed the game. Kante pulled a goal back in the 74th minute, firing home after a clever pass from Pereira de Jesus. Six minutes later, Mavropanos powered in a header from a Manor Solomon cross to level the scores.
The comeback was marred by Kante's late dismissal for a second bookable offence in the 89th minute, meaning West Ham finished the game with ten men. They held on through five minutes of added time to secure a valuable point.
Despite the red card, the character shown pleased the manager. Nuno Espírito Santo said the team's spirit was never in doubt, even when they were two goals down. He pointed to the 67 per cent possession and 15 shots as evidence they deserved something from the match. Jarrod Bowen, the club's top scorer with four goals this season according to the team's stats page, was kept relatively quiet by the Millwall defence. The point maintains their position at the summit of the standings as they prepare for the visit of QPR.
The match was marred by an allegation of spitting. Millwall goalkeeper Filip Marschall accused West Ham forward Taty Castellanos of spitting at him during the second half, according to Millwall manager Alex Neil. Neil said the fourth official confirmed an accusation had been made. West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo stated he was aware of the allegation but had not seen the incident. The league leaders, who have scored 20 goals this season, held on for a point despite the controversy.
