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There are few things more dangerous to a West Ham supporter than a run of good results. Four consecutive league victories had created an unfamiliar and slightly alarming atmosphere around the club.

People were smiling. Goals were being scored. The manager appeared to know what he was doing. Supporters had begun looking at the Championship table without first checking the bottom half. Naturally, something had to go wrong. Enter Millwall.




The first meeting between the clubs at The Den for 14 years was never likely to resemble a pleasant afternoon of community football. Add a West Ham side arriving as league leaders after dismantling Wrexham 6–0, and the stage was set for either a statement of intent or a fairly brutal return to reality.

For the first half, we got the latter.

Millwall came out as though someone had told them West Ham were enjoying themselves. They were quicker, more aggressive and far more awake. West Ham, meanwhile, looked as though they had expected another Wrexham and were mildly surprised to discover that Millwall had turned up.

Caleb Taylor put the home side ahead after 16 minutes. Camiel Neghli then made it 2–0, and suddenly the Championship leaders looked distinctly less imperious.

The trouble with winning 6–0 is that everyone starts thinking you are rather good. The trouble with being West Ham is that such confidence has historically had a short shelf life.


A Different West Ham After Half-Time



Whatever Nuno Espirito Santo said at the interval, it worked. West Ham emerged with considerably more urgency. The passing improved, the pressure increased and Millwall were finally pushed back towards their own goal.

Mohamadou Kante pulled one back and the match changed immediately. Suddenly Millwall looked nervous and West Ham looked capable of rescuing something from an afternoon which had been heading rather badly.

Then Konstantinos Mavropanos headed the equaliser.

At 2–0 down, a point would have seemed perfectly respectable. At 2–2, West Ham were suddenly wondering why they weren't winning. That, perhaps, is the most encouraging thing about the performance. The team recovered from a poor first half rather than allowing it to dictate the afternoon.


Then Came the Traditional Nonsense



No Millwall/West Ham fixture would be complete without some additional administrative complications.

Kante was sent off late on, leaving West Ham to protect the point with 10 men. There was also the curious incident involving Taty Castellanos and Millwall goalkeeper Filip Marschall, with Marschall alleging that Castellanos had spat at him.

It was disputed, discussed with the officials and, inevitably, became another subplot to a match which had already supplied sufficient material.

Football has VAR, multiple camera angles and teams of officials, yet somehow we remain capable of reaching the final stages of a match by debating whether someone spat at somebody else. Progress, apparently.


A Point That Improved with Time



The final 2–2 draw is difficult to assess without considering the circumstances. Before kick-off, West Ham would have expected to challenge for three points. At half-time, most supporters would probably have accepted a draw immediately.

After the comeback, there was a slight sense of frustration that West Ham had not gone on to win. But that should not obscure what was a useful point.

Millwall had been the better side for much of the first half. West Ham were second best and deserved to be behind. The response after the interval was therefore important. It showed character.

It also exposed the difference between last week's Wrexham performance and the more awkward reality of the Championship. West Ham will encounter plenty of afternoons when opponents refuse to allow them time and space to play. The question is whether they can keep finding ways through them.


The Bigger Picture



The four-match winning run inevitably raised expectations. This result brings them back to a more sensible level.

West Ham are still in a strong position, still scoring goals and still looking considerably more coherent under Espirito Santo. But promotion campaigns are rarely built on spectacular victories alone. They are built on grinding out points on afternoons when the football is ugly and the opposition is determined to make you regret turning up.

This was one of those afternoons.

West Ham were poor for 45 minutes, much better for the next 35, and then spent the closing stages trying not to lose with ten men. It wasn't a classic. It wasn't remotely comfortable. But it was resilient. And perhaps that is the more useful lesson from The Den.

The 6–0 against Wrexham was fun. The 2–2 at Millwall was football. Four wins had made West Ham supporters briefly forget what supporting West Ham entails. Saturday provided the reminder.

The good news is that this time the reminder came with a point.

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