Inspired Substitutions Rescue Jammy Hammers in Dockers Derby Shocker
West Ham United produced a remarkable second-half comeback to rescue a point in Saturday’s much-anticipated Dockers Derby, drawing 2-2 with Millwall at The Den.
After a woeful opening 45 minutes left the Hammers two goals behind, Nuno Espírito Santo was forced into a change of formation and personnel at half-time. The adjustments transformed West Ham’s performance, with Mohamadou Kanté and Konstantinos Mavropanos finding the net to earn an unlikely share of the spoils.
Once again, questions will be asked about West Ham’s preparation and whether changes should really have been necessary before the team finally responded to the opposition’s intensity.
The Den, London SE16 — Saturday, September 19, 2026, 12:30 PM. Mostly cloudy, 19°C.
Pre-Match
I have a confession to make. I don’t have particularly strong feelings about Millwall compared with most of West Ham’s other London rivals.
I know that, in the eyes of some supporters, this might mean I’m not a “proper West Ham” fan, but I’m not going to manufacture an animosity that simply isn’t there. Others have grown up in different areas and experienced the rivalry differently, but for me, the intensity surrounding this fixture has often been exaggerated for the benefit of the media.
Growing up in the suburban badlands between east London and Essex, Millwall barely registered on my radar as a West Ham supporter. If I ever encountered a Millwall fan, they certainly never gave me the opportunity to identify them.
Having attended my first game at the Boleyn Ground in 1961, it would be another 17 years before West Ham finally faced Millwall. Even today, we have only played them around 15 or 16 times during my lifetime as a supporter.
Scarily, things could have turned out very differently.
With my father born in Stratford and my mother born in Bermondsey, I remain eternally grateful that football loyalties apparently pass down exclusively through paternal genes. Otherwise, I could have spent a lifetime surrounded by caravans, railway arches and gold signet rings.
None of that, however, takes anything away from the importance of the fixture.
This was a London derby that West Ham needed to win and approach with pride, commitment and intensity. It was also a match Millwall were always likely to treat as one of the biggest games of their season.
Teams
There was little surprise in Nuno naming essentially the same starting XI that defeated Wrexham, with the only enforced change coming at right-back as Kyle Walker-Peters replaced the injured Joel Veltman.
Keeping a winning team together is one of football’s oldest mantras, and Nuno appears to follow it religiously. The same can perhaps be said about his preferred 4-4-2 system, which he seems determined to persist with until something goes seriously wrong.
Millwall, meanwhile, arrived with a lengthy injury list. On paper, that appeared encouraging from West Ham’s perspective, although history tells us that such advantages are never guaranteed to translate onto the pitch.
The financial difference between the clubs also highlights the scale of the challenge facing Millwall.
In their last published accounts, West Ham recorded revenues of around £226 million compared with just £23.9 million for Millwall. Even taking into account the financial impact of West Ham’s relegation, the gap remains substantial.
It makes Millwall’s promotion challenge last season all the more impressive given their considerably smaller resources.
West Ham therefore had little excuse.
West Ham XI: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Morato, Engels, Mukasa, Bowen (C), Solomon, Taty, Piroe.
Subs: Herrick (GK), Scarles, Golambeckis, Magassa, Orford, Kanté, Ajala, Austbø, Pablo.
First Half
Millwall 2-0 West Ham
Caleb Taylor 16′, Camiel Neghli 45+3′
Abysmal. Dreadful. Awful.
Those are just three words that could be used to describe West Ham’s first-half performance.
This was more donkey derby than Dockers Derby.
The Hammers looked completely unprepared for the intensity Millwall brought to the contest. West Ham were out-thought in the dugout and out-fought on the pitch.
The biggest concern was the midfield.
Nuno’s formation left West Ham dangerously exposed, particularly without a specialist defensive midfielder. While Millwall played with organisation, aggression and purpose, the visitors looked passive, vulnerable and directionless.
Engels and Mukasa were effectively marooned on the wrong side of the halfway line, while the front four struggled to have any meaningful influence during the opening half-hour.
There were few runs, very little movement and almost no creativity.
Meanwhile, Nuno stood on the touchline seemingly unable to find a solution.
Surely West Ham knew what to expect?
Did nobody at Rush Green anticipate an aggressive start from Millwall, particularly with the home side playing in front of a fired-up crowd at The Den?
Why does West Ham so often appear to be surprised by the way an opponent approaches a match, only making the necessary adjustments once half-time arrives?
Both Millwall goals exposed the same weakness.
Long throws caused panic in the West Ham defence, once again highlighting an alarming vulnerability that opponents will surely continue to target.
The opening goal came while Konstantinos Mavropanos was temporarily off the pitch after being clattered by Hermansen, who had rashly attempted to claim a cross that arguably was never his to attack.
Once again, West Ham’s defending lacked conviction.
Max Kilman also appeared to turn away from the ball rather than risk taking the impact himself. Craig Dawson and “Ginger Pele” would probably have been spinning around on their sixpences at the sight of such defending.
Perhaps it is time for Kilman to return to the bench, where he can do considerably less damage.
The second goal arrived just before the interval, at precisely the moment West Ham appeared to have survived with only a one-goal deficit.
Instead, too many players in white were spectators rather than defenders, allowing Millwall to deservedly double their advantage.
At 2-0 down, West Ham had a mountain to climb.
Second Half
Millwall 2-2 West Ham
Caleb Taylor 16′, Camiel Neghli 45+3′ — Mohamadou Kanté 74′, Konstantinos Mavropanos 80′
Whenever a team produces a performance as poor as West Ham’s first half, the inevitable question is whether the problem lies with the players, the system or both.
The answer is probably a combination of the two.
Personally, I have little confidence in Nuno’s current system. If the players share those doubts, it becomes even more difficult for the approach to succeed consistently.
The formation may work against open, attacking teams willing to leave space between the lines. Unfortunately, those sides are likely to be the exception rather than the rule.
Against more disciplined opponents, Millwall demonstrated a potential blueprint for how to frustrate West Ham.
The undermanned midfield and slow build-up could prove costly throughout the season.
Nuno finally reacted at half-time.
Pablo and Mohamadou Kanté were introduced for Joel Piroe and Kyle Walker-Peters, while West Ham switched to a back three and added another body in midfield.
Suddenly, the Hammers looked like a different team.
Whether the transformation was down to the tactical adjustment, the personnel changes, Millwall tiring, or a combination of all three, West Ham gradually began taking control.
Pablo — perhaps the classic case of “can’t play with him, can’t play without him” — came out with the aggression of a man who had spent the previous week watching Green Street on repeat.
His determination was infectious.
He missed a header that Piroe might have converted, but his presence helped change the mood of the West Ham performance.
Still, the Hammers initially struggled to turn their dominance into clear-cut chances.
Then Kanté produced a moment of inspiration.
The midfielder unleashed a spectacular effort from around 35 yards to finally reduce the deficit.
Suddenly, everything changed.
Bowen, Solomon and Austbø became far more influential, while Kanté repeatedly pushed beyond the strikers. The purpose, urgency and energy that had been missing before the break had finally returned.
West Ham were now firmly in control.
Then came the equaliser.
Solomon delivered a superb cross into the danger area and Mavropanos rose to head the ball home, completing an extraordinary comeback from 2-0 down.
At that point, a West Ham winner suddenly looked possible.
In truth, though, it would probably have been harsh on Millwall.
Those hopes were further damaged when Kanté received a red card for a blatant denial of a goalscoring opportunity.
The reaction to the incident also says something about how attitudes within professional football have changed.
There was a time when a player deliberately stopping a clear opportunity would have been viewed almost entirely as cynical and unsporting. The famous incident involving Willie Young bringing down Paul Allen in the 1980 FA Cup final was so controversial that it contributed to changes in the rules.
Today, similar actions are often applauded as a player “taking one for the team.”
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, West Ham got away with one at The Den.
Nuno’s half-time changes rescued the Hammers from what had looked like a deeply disappointing afternoon, but the first-half performance cannot simply be ignored.
The comeback demonstrated character, but it also highlighted serious tactical and preparation questions that will need addressing.
Hopefully, Nuno has a few more Get-Out-of-Jail cards hidden up his sleeve.
For the neutral, this was probably an entertaining afternoon: goals, tackles, passion, controversy and plenty of drama — with no VAR intervention to interrupt the occasion.
For West Ham, however, the 2-2 draw felt much more like a rescue operation than a result to celebrate.
COYI!