Millwall held despite Russell red card

Norwich City 0 Millwall

Millwall stretched their unbeaten run to nine matches at Carrow Road, but missed a chance to improve their position still further against a side who played the second half with 10 men.

The Canaries lost Darel Russell to a red card for elbowing Marc Bircham four minutes before the interval. The Norwich manager Nigel Worthington said, "I've seen it on video and it's a pathetic sending-off. Darel Russell has been done by two Millwall players. The lad's shoved his arm out to push them away and the referee's caught that and sent him off."

Worthington's side battled superbly and might have even taken three points had the goalkeeper Tony Warner not produced a reaction save to keep out a header from Alex Notman.

Chances were few and far between, although it was the visitors who carved out the better openings in a desperately disappointing first half. A 25-yard shot from the left-back Robbie Ryan tested goalkeeper Paul Crichton on his Norwich debut, while the veteran Steve Claridge miskicked after a deflection fell kindly to him in the box.

Norwich offered no threat at the other end and it looked as though they were in for a testing afternoon when the midfielder Russell was harshly dismissed by Andrew Hall after the slightest contact with Bircham. But the Canaries more than held their own after the break and it was frequently difficult to work out which side were down to 10 men.

Again opportunities were scarce, but Norwich created the best of the whole match on 72 minutes when Gary Holt picked the ball up in midfield and spread it wide to Steen Nedergaard. The Dane's cross from a tight position was accurate, but Notman's header was straight at Warner and the former Liverpool trainee reacted quickly to tip it over the bar.

Norwich: Crichton, Kenton, Mackay, Fleming, Drury, Nedergaard, Holt, Russell, McVeigh (Sutch, 81), Notman (Llewellyn, 82), Nielsen (Libbra, 82). Substitutes not used: Green, Rivers.

Millwall: Warner, Lawrence, Nethercott, Dyche, Ryan (Ward, 90), Reid, Bircham, Livermore, Bull (Ifill, 52), Claridge, Harris. Substitutes not used: Gueret, Green, Odunsi.

Referee: A Hall (Birmingham).

Booked: Norwich: Nedergaard, Fleming; Millwall: Livermore, Ryan, Bircham.

Sent Off: Norwich: Russell (42).

Attendance: 18,969