Tenacious Lions earn a point
Millwall substitute Magaye Gueye rescued a point with an 88th-minute leveller for the lowly Lions as they drew 2-2 at promotion-chasing Bournemouth.
French striker Gueye drove home the ball with just two minutes to spare at the Goldsands Stadium, in a Sky Bet Championship match that had earlier seen the Cherries sail into a two-goal lead through Steve Cook and Brett Pitman.
Visiting manager Ian Holloway changed his system at half-time and played out the last half-hour with five recognised strikers, with midfielder Ed Upson getting the comeback under way with a 75th-minute header.
Gueye's late effort salvaged a point for a team who had won just one of their previous 13 games.
Eddie Howe's Bournemouth started in a familiar fashion and took a two-goal lead inside 25 minutes.
Manager Howe was without 11-goal top-scorer Callum Wilson who missed the game with a hamstring injury and Pitman filled the void.
The Lions failed to contain the threat of winger Matt Ritchie, who twice threatened before Bournemouth took the lead.
The winger's spectacular drive from 30 yards had Millwall goalkeeper David Forde, making his 300th appearance for the Lions, scrambling after 17 minutes.
The Cherries were rampant down the right flank with both Ritchie and Simon Francis providing ammunition for strikers Pitman and Yann Kermorgant.
Kermorgant met Francis' cross but glanced his header just over after 20 minutes.
Francis was at it again two minutes later but this time he supplied Pitman, whose downward header forced Forde to tip the ball over the bar.
But it was not long until a free-flowing Bournemouth broke through.
Bournemouth scored twice in quick succession, with defender Cook nodding home at the back post from a simple Andrew Surman cross in the 22nd minute.
Then Ritchie - who caused havoc all afternoon - played a through-ball to Pitman who swivelled before delicately poking home.
Millwall rarely threatened in the first half but Martyn Woolford skipped past a few challenges before firing wide on the half hour.
Holloway's side struggled to contain the Cherries attack, as both captain Alan Dunne and Woolford were booked before half-time.
But it was all change after the break, as Millwall began the second half with more intent and Woolford again went close, glancing over a header from a Shaun Williams free-kick.
Defender Byron Webster twice threatened from set-pieces but his headers were routinely dealt with by Bournemouth goalkeeper Artur Boruc.
But substitute Ricardo Fuller helped to make the difference when his cross was met by Upson, who rose highest above a series of Cherries defenders to score with 15 minutes to play.
Upson's goal sent the visitors a lifeline and Holloway's men bombarded the hosts' back-line for the final stages.
Boruc dropped a corner ball, before later tipping over the bar from Fuller.
The home side should have sealed the game before Gueye's late equaliser, but Pitman and substitute Junior Stanislas made a mess of their attack when clean through.
Millwall's second-half pressure eventually paid off with the equaliser as Dunne's shot was blocked before Gueye drilled the ball home with two minutes left to play.
Source: PA
