Dapo Afolayan Shines in Blackburn's 3-1 Victory Over Millwall
Dapo Afolayan marked his 29th birthday with a ruthless brace as Blackburn cut through the gloom at a mutinous Ewood Park, beating Millwall 3-1 to snap a four-game winless run.
The noise turned quickly. Before a ball was kicked, the soundtrack was familiar and hostile – loud, pointed chants of “Venky’s out” rolling around the ground. By half-time, the same stands were on their feet for a forward who refused to let the afternoon drift into another grumble.
Afolayan flips the mood
Millwall settled first. They looked sharper, more assured, and carved out the opening chance on 11 minutes when Camiel Neghli’s low volley forced Balazs Toth into a tidy save.
Blackburn took time to wake up. Todd Cantwell’s snapshot finally asked a question of Max Crocombe, the Millwall keeper reacting well to beat it away. It felt like a warning rather than a turning point.
Then Afolayan intervened.
Four minutes before the break, Sam Morsy was allowed to wander into space just inside the box. His shot was tame and drifting nowhere in particular, but Afolayan, alive to the moment, darted across the six-yard area and produced a brilliant, improvised flick. The ball changed direction, the net bulged, and his first league goal for the club instantly changed the temperature inside Ewood Park.
From discontent to delight in one touch.
Dykes strikes back, Afolayan answers harder
Blackburn undid some of that good work within seconds of the restart. Substitute Gady Beyuku’s first involvement was a nightmare, clumsily bringing down Tairyk Arconte after the Millwall forward had ghosted in behind on the left.
Lyndon Dykes grabbed the ball and showed no hesitation from the spot, drilling his third of the season straight down the middle to level it at 1-1. Millwall had their lifeline. The away end roared. The mood around Ewood teetered.
Afolayan refused to let the game slip.
On 58 minutes, he picked up possession near the centre circle and drove. One challenge beaten, the pitch opened up. Nobody closed him, nobody got tight enough, and from 18 yards he unleashed a vicious left-foot strike that screamed into the bottom corner. Crocombe could only watch.
If the first was clever, the second was brutal. Blackburn’s lead restored, this time with authority.
Millwall’s missed chances
Millwall thought they had hit back again when Arconte forced the ball home after a long throw sparked chaos in the box, only for the referee to spot a foul in the scramble and chalk it off. Alex Neil later revealed the decision was given for Jake Cooper holding, a call he described as “incredible” and “really soft”.
The Lions still carved out chances to punish Blackburn.
Zak Sturge drove a low cross into the area that found Arconte stretching at the near post, but he could only steer it wide. Then came the big one. Mark Sykes delivered a superb cross from the right, picking out Dykes unmarked. The striker met it cleanly but guided his header past the post from close range. Millwall’s bench sank in disbelief.
Arconte kept asking questions. In the 73rd minute he twisted Tom Atcheson inside out, burst into the area and looked set to pull the trigger, only for Hayden Carter to throw himself in front of the shot and deflect it over. It was a huge intervention in a game of thin margins.
Neil saw the pattern clearly. “I didn’t think there was a dominant team in the game,” he said. “I just thought they were more clinical in moments than what we were during the match and sometimes at this level, that’s the difference.”
Gudjohnsen finishes the job
As Millwall pushed on, gaps began to appear. Tony Mowbray’s side, criticised recently for letting games slip, held firm and waited for their moment to kill it.
It came in stoppage time, and it came on the break.
Andri Gudjohnsen, on from the bench, started the move himself, using his body to shield the ball before rolling it into space for Jayden Fevrier. The winger surged clear and returned the favour, squaring for Gudjohnsen, who had continued his run and calmly tucked his finish into the bottom corner for his third of the season.
Ewood Park, restless at kick-off, finally exhaled.
Mowbray’s faith in Afolayan
Afterwards, Mowbray’s praise for Afolayan went beyond the goals.
“I remember Afolayan playing for Bolton and he was really direct, positive and aggressive,” the Blackburn manager said. “He’s a really bright and intelligent kid who loves football… I feel as though I can connect with him to make him the best version of himself because he understands.”
Mowbray has been weighing up options on the left. Nights like this make the decision easier. “I’m more than happy with Dapo,” he added. “He has got aspects he needs to learn and work on but he’s a very intelligent kid and there’s scope to get better out of him.”
For Blackburn, this was more than three points. It was a release, a reminder that there is still quality and character in a side under pressure, even with dissent echoing from the stands.
For Millwall, beaten for the third time in four league games and left to dwell on missed chances and a disallowed goal, the question is sharper: can they rediscover their edge in both boxes before the season’s demands become unforgiving?
