Casper de Norre has scored two goals for Millwall - both of which have been winners at Swansea
Millwall claimed an unlikely first away league victory of the season as Casper de Norre struck a 90th-minute winner at Swansea City.
Swansea had looked the more likely winners throughout a contest which they controlled for long spells.
But after the Welsh club’s goal drought passed 500 minutes – with Zan Vipotnik, Josh Key and Joe Allen all denied by Millwall goalkeeper Lukas Jensen – the Lions snatched victory with their first chance of the game.
With Swansea pushing for a winner, Neil Harris’ side countered through Femi Azeez and his low cross was turned in by De Norre from point-blank range.
Luke Williams would have been frustrated had his team only taken a point, so a first home league defeat of the season will be particularly hard to swallow.
But having failed to score for the fifth successive Championship game – the club’s longest run without a league goal since 1996 – Swansea were left crestfallen when De Norre swept home.
Swansea’s sequence without a league victory extends to six matches, while Millwall are now unbeaten in four games.
Neil Harris’ side climb to 10th in the table, while Swansea slip to 17th.
Millwall had not managed an away league triumph since their previous visit to Swansea, when De Norre had also struck the only goal on the final day of last season.
Swansea have been a much tougher nut to crack in this campaign, and they were rarely troubled here until the Belgian’s decisive late intervention.
The one real sight of goal at either end before the break camre after Ben Cabango picked off a Millwall pass and fed Vipotnik, who stepped neatly away from Jake Cooper’s challenge but saw his 20-yard drive turned round the post by Jensen.
Millwall's last away league win came at Swansea on the final day of last season
Swansea upped the tempo after the break, with Key forcing another sharp save from Jensen before appeals for handball were ignored when Matt Grimes’ crisp half-volley was blocked.
The home side, who have now played 525 minutes of football since they last found the target, kept on pushing as the clock ticked down, with Key almost providing a moment of magic when he beat two defenders only for Jensen to beat the full-back’s shot to safety.
Florian Bianchini then headed wide with the goal at his mercy, before the substitute raced on to Ronald’s pass and was smothered by the outstanding Jensen, who then got up to save Allen’s follow-up effort.
Millwall looked to be hanging on for a point until De Norre won it with just his second goal for the club.
Swansea head coach Luke Williams:
"I am not sure what more we need to do to score a goal but we didn’t and we compounded that by conceding right at the death, so a tough one [to take].
“I am sorry I can’t tell you more. [We wanted] to create more chances, we created more chances. We have had two tough away games and created as much as our opponents but got one point.
“We come back home and say ‘come on, let’s play with more intensity and create more’. We did that, and so I don’t have a really obvious answer to give you I’m afraid.
“But we have to continue. We have had nearly 70% of the ball in the last three games so there’s no lack of confidence. There isn’t a lack of organisation. We just have to worry about being more clinical.”
Millwall manager Neil Harris:
"Obviously I'm delighted. I habe sat in front of the press and the dressing room a few times this season and talked about us not getting what we deserved from games.
"But today we maybe got a little bit more than we deserved.
"It wasn't one of our strongest performances of the season but I'm delighted with the mentality of the group.
"We hung in there and the application of the players was immense, and we found a moment of quality."
