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, boosting the chances of the teams chasing them, including Ipswich. Norwich, with seven wins in their last nine away league matches, remain in contention for a play-off spot. The visitors started strongly, with Anis Ben Slimane's shot deflected wide within the first minute. Mathias Kvistgaarden and Ali Ahmed also had attempts blocked by Millwall's defenders. When Slimane finally broke through, his shot was easily saved by goalkeeper Anthony Patterson. Norwich had two excellent opportunities to open the scoring, first when Jack Stacey's shot went wide and then when Kenny McLean failed to convert Ali Ahmed's cross. Millwall's first half was uneventful, with their only threats coming from Femi Azeez's off-target shot and Tristan Crama's late header. The introduction of Ivanovic for Luke Cundle at half-time paid off for Millwall, as he scored 11 minutes into the second half. However, Norwich equalized eight minutes later through Mattsson's powerful shot. The winning goal came in the 76th minute when Mohamed Toure set up Schwartau for a straightforward finish. Millwall manager Alex Neil attributed the loss to a lack of energy in midfield, saying, 'We looked a bit jaded, we didn't move the ball well enough.' Norwich manager Philippe Clement praised his team's performance, calling it their best of the season and saying, 'To be that dominant and to be the better team shows good signs.'