Will Lankshear after scoring for Middlesbrough against MillwallGetty Images

Will Lankshear, with six goals, is one behind Southampton's Cyle Larin as the Championship's top scorer

Adam Lanigan
BBC Sport England

Middlesbrough came from two goals down in the second half to salvage a draw at home to Millwall.

The point moved Boro up one spot to third in the Championship although a win would have put them top.

Amario Cozier-Duberry brought them back into the game with a goal five minutes after the break, before a header from Will Lankshear - his eighth goal of the season - hauled Kim Hellberg's side level.

Millwall had stunned the Riverside Stadium in the opening period, with Tairyk Arconte putting them in front on the counter-attack and then Scotland forward Lyndon Dykes adding a second.

But they were forced to settle for a point after Boro's strong response - a result that moved the Lions up to 11th as they ended their hosts' 100% home record.

In a meeting between two of the sides who missed out in the play-offs last season, the pattern was set early, with Boro dominating the ball and Millwall content to defend in numbers.

However, that worked a treat for the visitors after 10 minutes, as Camiel Neghli launched a ball forward for Arconte. The winger from Guadeloupe kept Luke Ayling at bay and beat keeper Radek Vitek with a low shot at his near post.

Lankshear would have equalised but for a fine save from Max Crocombe, and Boro were in big trouble when Dykes scrambled home from a corner for his fourth in four games - on the day he was omitted from Sebastian Pocognoli's new-look Scotland squad.

Boss Hellberg made a triple change at the interval and his team flew out of the traps.

The deficit was halved when Cozier-Duberry scored with a deflected effort, and Lankshear headed home from Ayling's cross to equalise just past the hour mark.

Substitute Elkan Baggott nearly restored Millwall's lead, but Vitek made a crucial save, while both Cozier-Duberry and substitute Jeremy Sarmiento were close at the other end.

The point for Middlesbrough means four teams are now level on 14 points, with West Ham leading the way and Boro sandwiched between Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion.

It is one win in five for Millwall, but the draw allows them to take some momentum into their Saturday lunchtime derby against London rivals West Ham.

'I didn't do well enough' - reaction

Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg told BBC Radio Tees:

"This group has strong character - we know that - coming from behind again.

"We're up to seven points from behind already, which is massive. But it puts us in tougher situations to be 1-0 and 2-0 down.

"I didn't do well enough in a lot of things and I take responsibility for that. We struggled in the first half, not being good enough, not having enough energy.

"We did a lot of changes in the second half, we came away with a point, and it could have been three.

"It's a lot of players who've played a lot of games and maybe over their limit over a period of time in terms of what they've come from. But it's my responsibility to pick the right group, the right team, and try to read who's ready to go and who's not.

"I'm disappointed as I didn't get that one right."

Hellberg: Boro comeback 'showed character'

Millwall manager Alex Neil told BBC Radio London:

"The gameplan was working great. But the nature of the goals we conceded was really disappointing, certainly from the fact that the first one was a set-play.

"It was never going to be a game from our point of view where we came away thinking 'what a performance', but tonight was all about making sure we managed to get something out of the game, and we managed to do that.

"Are we a little bit disappointed and frustrated? Absolutely, because we were winning 2-0 and we would have expected to deal with those two moments better."

Neil: 'It's a fantastic point!'

Player of the match

A. Cozier-Duberry
7.49
11 A. Cozier-Duberry
7.49
7 W. Lankshear
6.91
16 J. Sarmiento
6.84
17 M. Arfsten
6.35
22 K. Joseph
6.18
2 C. Brittain
6.09
8 R. McGree
6.08
4 A. Phillips
5.98
10 A. Morris
5.98
30 Neto Borges
5.78
6 S. Berhalter
5.77
1 R. Vítek
5.60
14 M. Peart-Harris
5.48
12 L. Ayling
5.30
9 T. Conway
5.22
13 D. Strelec
4.70
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