Millers boss Paul Warne was quick to hail the character of his side after they fought back from an early blow to earn a well-deserved point at highly-fancied Sunderland.
In front of a healthy contingent from South Yorkshire, the Millers were stunned within the first minute at the Stadium of Light when Marc McNulty took advantage of some slack Rotherham marking to open the scoring.
The home side were presented with an opportunity to double their lead around the half-hour mark but Daniel Iversen proved his worth with a fine penalty save to deny Aiden McGeady.
The moment proved crucial as Rotherham gradually grabbed a foothold in the clash and it was no surprise when Jake Hastie equalised by firing high into the roof of the home net following fine approach play from Freddie Ladapo.
Speaking to the assembled media afterwards, Warne was delighted that his side were duly rewarded for a much-improved second half display, following an indifferent start in Wearside.
“I thought we didn’t start great which was disappointing. When I saw their team I thought it was a compliment to us as they took their attacking players out and played three defensive midfielders.” Warne said.
“We came here to win and not sit behind the ball. We played two upfront so to give away the first goal was pretty unforgivable.
“I thought we came into it a little bit and Carlton (Morris) could have had a penalty. We were pleased just to get in at half-time at one-nil because Dan (Iversen) made a big save with the penalty, which was a big turning point for us.
“In the second-half, I thought our back four was a lot better and we were a lot more advanced up the pitch. Our front two caused them problems and Jake (Hastie) took his goal well and overall a point away from home is always good.”
Despite Warne paying tribute to the battling qualities of his side, the Millers boss reserved special praise for Hastie, who grabbed his third goal in as many games, and Iversen, whose penalty save, arguably kept Rotherham in the game, at a crucial period of the match.
"Jake has hit the ground running." Warne enthused.
"He has not played a full 90 minutes since April. He took his goal well. He was a threat all night and he got the full-back booked early on.
"We really like Dan. We had to wait a long time in the summer to get him. I think he has a real presence and he came for a cross late on, which is a manager's dream. We have been really pleased with him, so far."