• Police horses used to disperse home fans after 1-0 victory over Leicester City • Claudio Ranieri says his Premier League champions deserved to lose

Unwelcome scenes followed Millwall’s FA Cup triumph against Leicester City at the Den, with police horses being required to restore order after a pitch invasion. The Millwall manager, Neil Harris, said he had not seen – but nor could he condone – the actions of home supporters who had invaded the pitch and thrown objects at Leicester fans, who replied in kind and lashed out at stewards.

Harris also praised his fans, however, and said a pitch invasion was to be expected. The pitch was cleared after stewards were joined by police on horses and then a further line of officers carrying riot helmets. Of the result, Harris said: “It’s a fantastic moment for everyone.

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“My fans were excellent today. The noise level was outrageous, it typified what the FA Cup was about. I thought they made it a hostile atmosphere, which we’ve come to expect and love at Millwall. We could have sold the stadium out twice.

“It’s a big moment for us so I would expect to see people on the pitch. I didn’t see anything being thrown so I won’t comment, but obviously I don’t condone anything like that as Millwall manager.”

Millwall won the match in the 90th minute with a goal from Shaun Cummings, but had been down to 10 men since the 52nd minute when Jake Cooper was dismissed after receiving a second yellow card.

“Going down to 10 men just after half‑time is tough, but my players didn’t freeze,” Harris said. “The sending off galvanised the stadium – the atmosphere was electric and it carried my players, and my players carried the stadium, because the pressing with 10 men and the use of the ball and the chances we created was everything you want from a Millwall team.”

Claudio Ranieri said his team deserved to lose, as the Premier League champions’ nightmare run continued. “In the first half we gave a good performance, but when they went to 10 men they played better than us, they showed more character and more desire than us,” the Leicester manager said. “In the end they deserved to win.”

Ranieri insisted that his team can still turn their form around and that they could use Millwall’s performance as motivation. “I think this defeat could be good for us because, when you lose against a team who fights, you have to ask yourselves: ‘Why did we lose?’

“Now I want to speak again with my players. We have to fight. I want them to tell me who wants to fight. Tell me because I need the soldiers, I need gladiators. Millwall showed us what fantastic gladiators are.”