Aiden O’Brien’s stoppage time strike rescued a point for Millwall as former Lion Lewis Grabban threatened to haunt his old club with a brace for Nottingham Forest at The Den.

Shaun Williams opened the scoring for a dominant Millwall in the first half before substitute Grabban scored within 60 second of entering the field on the hour.

Grabban added a second with minutes remaining before O’Biren, himself a substitute, levelled after following up Williams’ parried long range strike.

Dominant Lions

Gary Rowett’s side dominated the opening half and they nearly took the lead within the opening five minutes.

Ben Thompson finding himself unmarked ten yards out, only to see his header whistle over the bar.

Pressure told and they eventually broke the deadlock on 15 minutes.  

Williams rising highest to meet Jed Wallace’s corner to header down past Brice Samba in the Forest goal.

Millwall completely dominated the remainder of the half but other than a few foraging Jed Wallace runs down the right there was little in terms of goal threat.

Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi would be grateful his side were only the goal down as the half drew to a close.

Second Half - All Change

Within two minutes of the re-start Forest had their first effort on target through Sammy Ameobi and were only a superb stop from Bartosz Bialkowksi away from drawing the sides level.

The visitors grew and came close again through Ameobi and Alfa Semedo as they Millwall backline were finally tested.

Grabban, playing the pantomime villain after serving the Lions in a turbulent three-year spell from 2008, got Forest’s deserved equaliser seconds after entering the field just past the hour.

To a chorus of visiting fans singing ‘he scores when he wants,’ Grabban had the easiest header from a yard out to turn in Joe Worrall’s headed cross.

Sparked into life Millwall should’ve taken the lead moments later but somehow Samba kept out Jake Cooper’s point-blank header following Ben Thompson’s fine delivery.

With minutes remaining Forest thought they’d clinched it and it was a mistake of Millwall’s doing.

Jed Wallace who’d been given a warning moments earlier as he was pickpocketed in the middle of the park, made the error.

Albert Adomah stole the ball on the halfway before releasing Ameobo who squared to Grabban for another simple tap in thinking he’d won the game.

With five minutes of injury time added O’Brien followed in Williams’ long-range effort that Samba could only parry to give the Lions a point, when in truth they should’ve had all three.

Teams:

Millwall: Bialkowski, Romeo, Cooper, Pearce, Wallace, Molumby, Williams, Thompson (Mahoney 82’), Skalak (O’Brien 78’), Wallace, Smith (Bradshaw 61’)  Subs: Sandford, Hutchinson, Bradshaw, Brown, Mahoney, O’Brien, Dadi Bodvarsson

Nottingham Forest: Samba, Figueiredo (Lolley 56’), Worral, Dawson, Robinson, Mir (Grabban 62’), Watson, Cash, Semedo (Adomah 79’), Ameobi, Silva Subs: Muric, Grabban, Carvalho, Bostock, Lolley, Rodriguez, Adomah