West Bromwich Albion 0-0 Millwall: Lions pick up battling point at Baggies
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Zian Flemming saw a 28th-minute penalty saved by West Brom keeper Alex Palmer
West Brom were held to a battling draw by Millwall at The Hawthorns to make it four games without victory for the Baggies.
Albion were indebted to a penalty save from Alex Palmer on 28 minutes, when he turned Zian Flemming's spot-kick around the post.
Lions keeper Bartosz Bialkowski made an instinctive stop to deny Matt Phillips, while Alex Mowatt and Brandon Thomas-Asante thudded the bar as Albion sought to win it.
Millwall - who go up to 10th in the Championship - have now lost only one of their past nine games against the Baggies.
Carlos Corberan made five changes from Albion's midweek draw at Watford, with Kyle Bartley, Conor Townsend, Mowatt, Grady Diangana and full debutant Jeremy Sarmiento coming in, while former Lion Jed Wallace and John Swift, who had scored four goals in his previous six games and five in his past eight appearances at The Hawthorns, were among those dropping to the bench.
The hosts made a nervy start and Palmer almost saw a clearance kick bounce into the net after being charged down by Duncan Watmore.
The visitors had the chance to break the deadlock on 28 minutes after Bartley was adjudged to have handled in the box but Flemming's low penalty was kept out by Palmer.
Only five minutes after the break Bialkowski superbly reacted to thwart Phillips from close range after a cutback from Diangana, while Sarmiento sent an acrobatic attempt from the edge of the box straight at the keeper.
Inside the final half-hour Mowatt rattled the crossbar with a 20-yard free-kick, with Semi Ajayi unable to turn home the rebound, while Thomas-Asante headed against the woodwork with Bialkowski on the floor in the closing stages after Phillips had nodded a high cross back into the middle.
The Lions defence stood firm through eight additional minutes to make it back-to-back clean sheets while West Brom slipped to 13th after a second blank in seven days.
West Brom manager Carlos Corberan told BBC Radio WM:
"I think in general we were flat first half and excellent second half.
"I think we did enough in the second half to normally win the game, though we were not clinical enough in the final third to achieve the points that we wanted to achieve.
"Until (the penalty save) the team didn't start the game at the necessary level. I think it was important the team reacted after Alex's save and we played much better - completely better in the second half. We created 15 or 16 chances.
"The difference between achieving three points and one point was we were not clinical enough."
Millwall boss Gary Rowett told BBC Radio London:
"I think it was a hard-earned performance and a tough game. I thought we were really good in the first half and in the second we just couldn't keep hold of the ball well enough.
"West Brom away is never an easy game, it's not easy to come here and dominate possession in the first half and have a few chances, and miss a penalty - which was a big disappointment, I'm sure Zian will be gutted.
"It maybe gave them a lift. Sometimes games swing on little moments and for them it was a moment which gave them a lifeline. They used that momentum in the second half to cause us problems.
"At the end I was pleased with a point but at half-time I thought we could go on and win it. We just weren't quite brave enough in the second half."