‘It has never been a penalty’ – Birmingham boss Bowyer fuming at Lions’ late penalty and complains about amount of fouls given by ref

Lee Bowyer was furious with referee Leigh Doughty for awarding Millwall a last-minute penalty that Benik Afobe tucked away to make it 2-2.

The Blues boss also complained about the amount of fouls the Lions were awarded throughout the match.

Bowyer said: “I believed we deserved to win the game – but yet again another decision by the officials has cost us more points. It has never been a penalty. Just because someone feels contact and goes to ground, it doesn’t mean it’s a foul and that’s what happened.

“The fella is six foot five inches and he goes down the way he did….I am not blaming him, but the officials have to see through it. I think second half they got a lot more decisions that we did, then he fell for that one at the end. I don’t know why he gave a penalty.

“We deserved to win the game but the official took that away – and I feel for the players. Because to turn it around from last week to this week, the criticism they took from everybody, then I have to praise the players.

“From start to finish we were very good. We competed, we won a lot of individual battles, we had to stand up and be counted man for man all over the pitch against a very good Millwall side, that’s their strength and we did that.

“We slightly edged it all over. We competed, we won more second balls we were on the front foot. I think Onel Hernandez caused their right sided centre half a lot of problems from start to finish. We just edged it if I am honest.

“Last week I was criticising them because it wasn’t good enough – this week I will praise them, this is the person I am. I will say it how it is, they were outstanding from start to finish every single one of them.”