Championship: Middlesbrough come back to draw 2-2 at Millwall in injury-time

Boss Neil Harris says Millwall "self-imploded" in letting slip a two-goal lead to draw with promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough at the Den.

The Lions were 2-0 up and cruising on 87 minutes after first-half goals from Aiden O'Brien and Lee Gregory, and could have had more as they continued to dominate after the break.

However, Martin Braithwaite pulled a goal back following good work by substitute Marcus Tavernier and George Friend levelled in the seventh minute of injury-time to complete the comeback.

"For 87 minutes it's men versus boys, we've dominated the game," Harris told BBC Radio London.

"Then we self-implode. I've told the players in there I've not got time to accept switching off. I told harsh words to the forwards - we should have been five-up. If we don't get the killer third goal you put yourself under pressure.

"We played a side who if you finish above them this season, then you'll be promoted. Before the game we'd have taken a point but when you're 2-0 up with three minutes to go you don't expect to only take a point out of it."

Tony Pulis' Boro side were among the pre-season tips for success but against Millwall - who just missed out on the play-offs last term - they looked anything but for long periods.

Despite their performance, salvaging a point at a fired up, rocking Den - celebrating its 25-year anniversary - could prove a useful result when it comes to the end-of-season reckoning.

Millwall, who made huge progress last season under Harris, delivered a compact, hard-to-break-down and energetic performance that had Boro struggling to create on a hot day in south London.

Their lead reflected their superiority, as on 11 minutes O'Brien slammed past Darren Randolph after being assisted by Gregory, who then pounced on a howler of a back-header by Aden Flint to double the advantage before half-time.

With the game edging towards a comfortable home win, Pulis changed things around with the introduction of Lewis Wing, Marcus Tavernier and Ashley Fletcher in a bid to find a way through the Lions' defence, and it paid off to ensure the Teessiders picked up a point they could scarcely have believed was possible.

Middlesbrough boss Tony Pulis told BBC Tees:

"Let's put everything into perspective, we're six short of who we finished last season with. It's half the team we had last season.

"The first half we were poor - we sat back, never got after it, never got the ball forward or got enough possession in their half, so there were some choice words at half-time.

"We made some changes and in the last 25 minutes we showed our teeth, for the first time during the game."