Millwall boss Gary Rowett was left furious by three handball shouts that went against his side – revealing even the Rovers players admitted the Lions should have been awarded a spot-kick.

Rowett felt Daniel Ayala twice handled in the box in the second half, while he also felt his side should have had a penalty when Darragh Lenihan blocked Jed Wallace’s first half effort.

Millwall were appealing for a penalty against Ayala as referee Michael Salisbury blew for full time, and Rowett cut a frustrated figure after the final whistle as his side fell to defeat courtesy of Adam Armstrong’s injury-time goal.

Rowett had watched the three incidents back and felt they were more than worthy of ending with a penalty, including one deep into stoppage time as the visitors pushed for an equaliser.

“It’s an incredibly frustrating evening. The beauty of modern technology is of course that on the bench we get more or less a live feed, we could look at incidents again,” Rowett explained.

“I appreciate the officials haven’t got that, but that’s why they’re the officials, to make the right decisions, or at least make one of them.

“The first one, Lenihan, I can semi-understand why they haven’t given that one because he dips his shoulder down and with that his arm goes wider and he blocks the shot from Jed Wallace.

“Depending on your angle you might think that’s hit his arm but it’s not away from his body.

“The second one, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson has a header, Ayala has both of his hands above his head, and blocks the shot with one of them, pick one of two.

“And then the third one you could see blatantly Ayala almost punches it out, the referee has a good view, he almost punches it out on the penalty spot, and that’s why you see our players going so mad about it because it was so obvious.

“Two Blackburn players came off afterwards and said it was handball, and that’s why I’m disappointed because I thought we played really well.”

Millwall had the better of the play for much of the game, but neither side could fashion many clear-cut opportunities, with the opening two goals coming via fine finishes from Harvey Elliott and Scott Malone.

Armstrong came up with the winner, his 14th of the season, and Rowett believes the striker will prove to be a real difference maker for Rovers this season.

And despite his visible anger at the decisions of the officials, he did acknowledge the threat that Rovers can pose.

He added: “It’s a difficult place to come, Blackburn are a very good, attacking side and you only have to look at Armstrong, he’s scored more this season than our whole team so is a big difference maker for them in this division.

“But we played really well and to respond so well to going a goal down with a good goal of our own, to have other chances and a lions’ share of the game, we have made a poor error of judgement to overplay in the 91st minute, but I think should be sat here talking about a game we’ve won, or drawn, and not about the key incidents that have not gone our way.

“That’s the disappointment for me and why it will feel so unjust.

“Because you’re not allowed to see the officials after the game, they go into their room pretty quick and that’s it, done, as a manager you have to take it on the chin and walk away and as a manager it doesn’t feel right.

“Without those three incidents I’d have no problem saying Blackburn were more clinical, or taken their chances, I think Tony has a really good side and they’ll be a threat to any team in this division, particularly on the transition.

“But I’m disappointed because I thought we played really well and were more than a match for them.”