Castellanos accused of spitting in Millwall draw

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The alleged incident occurred in the 65th minute with Millwall leading 2-0, when Marschall was seen signalling to the referee and pointing at his shirt.

Broadcasters said after the match that Millwall had lodged a complaint, which was confirmed by both managers in their post-match press conferences, although neither said they had seen the incident.

"I haven't asked [Marschall] about it, but I'm sure there'll be footage of it, or not if it didn't happen," Millwall manager Alex Neil said.

"The fourth official basically said there was an accusation of spitting."

Under Football Association (FA) regulations, proven spitting offences can carry a six-match ban.

"I'm aware of the allegation. I didn't see the images, I didn't speak with Taty [Castellanos]," West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo said.

"I cannot go much further on that, I'm sorry. For me to answer that, I have to see it. I'm going to look at the images. I cannot answer."

West Ham's relegation from the Premier League last season brought the teams back together to renew one of English football's fiercest rivalries in the second-tier.

Police set up a major operation, with enhanced stop-and-search powers around Millwall's stadium for the high-risk fixture at The Den.

Millwall dominated the opening half and established a two-goal lead through Caleb Taylor and Camiel Neghli, both benefiting from long throws that exposed West Ham's defence.

The Hammers arrived on a four-match Championship winning streak and as the division's top scorers, and they were transformed after the break. Substitute Mohamadou Kante pulled one back with a long-range strike before Konstantinos Mavropanos headed in Manor Solomon's cross to complete the comeback.

The visitors' momentum was checked when Kante was sent off late on for hauling down Kyrell Lisbie as the Millwall forward raced clear on goal, leaving West Ham to hold on with 10 men through a tense finish.

Millwall pushed for a winner but could not find a way through as the first renewal of the rivalry since 2012 ended in a draw.

The result temporarily kept West Ham top of the Championship, while Millwall remained without a win over its rivals in nearly 22 years.

Nuno was thrilled with the response his West Ham players showed after going 2-0 down.

"Clearly, in the first half we didn't go well in the game, we didn't start well, we were not precise, we lost balls, we didn't deal with the physicality of Millwall," he conceded.

"But much improved in the second half and the way the game went, it's a positive. Not what we wanted, but the way the boys reacted to a bad first half was good and positive."