West Ham United fought back from two goals down to earn a dramatic 2-2 draw against Millwall at The Den.
Caleb Taylor and Camiel Neghli put the hosts in complete control during a dreadful first half for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side.
West Ham looked beaten before substitute Mohamadou Kanté transformed the contest with a superb long-range strike.
Konstantinos Mavropanos then headed home the equaliser before Kanté was sent off in the 89th minute, forcing the Hammers to finish a chaotic derby with ten men.
Millwall punish woeful West Ham first half
West Ham entered the fixture on the back of four consecutive Championship victories but struggled badly with Millwall’s intensity from the opening stages.
The hosts took the lead after 16 minutes when Taylor punished West Ham’s failure to deal with a Lyndon Dykes long throw.
It became a recurring problem.
Millwall continued to threaten from direct situations while West Ham struggled to turn their possession into meaningful attacking opportunities.
Nuno’s side reached half-time without registering the attacking threat expected from a team containing Jarrod Bowen, Manor Solomon, Joel Piroe and Taty Castellanos.
Worse followed in first-half stoppage time.
Another Dykes long throw caused problems inside the West Ham penalty area before Neghli struck to give Millwall a 2-0 lead.
The two-goal half-time deficit accurately reflected a first period in which the Hammers were repeatedly second best.
The confirmed West Ham lineup had suggested Nuno was willing to attack the derby, but his side initially failed to make that quality tell.
Kanté sparks remarkable West Ham comeback
West Ham needed something completely different after the interval.
Kanté provided it.
The midfielder came off the bench and dragged his side back into the contest in the 74th minute, drilling a low effort into the bottom corner from around 25 yards.
It gave West Ham belief for the first time all afternoon.
Six minutes later, they were level.
Solomon created space following a short corner before delivering towards the back post, where Mavropanos rose to power a header into the top corner.
The turnaround completed an extraordinary spell in which West Ham went from appearing beaten to pushing for a derby winner.
The details of both comeback goals were also recorded in live national coverage of the contest. The Guardian reported Kanté’s long-range finish before Mavropanos converted Solomon’s cross.
There was still another dramatic twist.
Kanté was shown a red card in the 89th minute, leaving West Ham to negotiate the closing stages with ten men.
They survived more than six minutes of stoppage time to secure a point.
West Ham escape The Den with a point
A draw will not have been Nuno’s target after West Ham arrived at Millwall in excellent Championship form.
However, the circumstances make this a valuable recovery.
West Ham were 2-0 down, had been comprehensively second best during the opening 45 minutes and appeared to be heading towards defeat.
Instead, Kanté and Mavropanos rescued a point before the Hammers survived the closing stages following the late dismissal.
The result extends West Ham’s unbeaten Championship run, although Nuno will have plenty to address after a first-half performance that left his side with an enormous task.
For all the problems, West Ham showed enough character after the break to ensure their first competitive meeting with Millwall since 2012 ended level.
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