Millwall's Hopes for Automatic Promotion Take a Hit with Loss to Norwich

Substitute Oscar Schwartau scored the winning goal as Norwich defeated Millwall 2-1, handing a significant advantage to their rivals Ipswich in the pursuit of automatic promotion. Millwall, who began the day in second place, took the lead through Mihailo Ivanovic after the break. However, a stunning long-range strike from Pelle Mattsson and Schwartau's decisive goal sealed the victory for Norwich, giving the chasing pack, including Ipswich, a major boost in the promotion race. Norwich, who have now won seven of their last nine away league matches to keep their play-off hopes alive, started strongly with Anis Ben Slimane's shot being deflected wide within the first minute. Mathias Kvistgaarden and Ali Ahmed also had their shots blocked by Millwall's defenders, who had put in a similar display in their Good Friday win at Middlesbrough. When Slimane finally broke through, his shot was easily saved by goalkeeper Anthony Patterson. Norwich had two golden opportunities to open the scoring, first when Jack Stacey's shot went wide, and then when Kenny McLean failed to convert Ahmed's cross. The first half was uneventful for Millwall, with their only threats coming from Femi Azeez's off-target shot and Tristan Crama's late header. McLean's heated discussion with Millwall boss Alex Neil, his former manager, added some excitement to the half. Neil's decision to bring on Ivanovic for Luke Cundle paid off in the 56th minute when Ivanovic scored with a header from four yards. However, Norwich equalized eight minutes later through Mattsson's powerful shot from 20 yards. The winner came in the 76th minute when Mohamed Toure set up Schwartau for a simple finish past Patterson. Millwall's Alex Neil attributed the loss to a lack of energy in midfield, stating, 'We looked a bit jaded, we didn't look our normal selves.' Norwich's Philippe Clement praised his team's performance, saying, 'I have huge respect for what Millwall and what the manager here are doing this season and what a tough place this is to come.'