A blistering start from Millwall propelled them to a 2-0 victory over QPR at The Den, lifting them back into second place in the Sky Bet Championship. After a sluggish run of one win in five games, the Lions' promotion push was revitalized by early goals from Derek Mazou-Sacko and Camiel Neghli, allowing them to dictate the London derby from the outset.
Alex Neil's side now sits one point above Ipswich, who face Middlesbrough on Sunday, as the battle for Premier League promotion heats up. Millwall took the lead after just three minutes when Mazou-Sacko capitalized on a loose ball from Femi Azeez's cross, firing a powerful finish past QPR goalkeeper Joe Walsh. The French midfielder's first goal for the club calmed the nerves of the home supporters, who had witnessed their team lose their last two home games. The hosts continued to dominate, with Neghli doubling their lead in the 17th minute with a beautifully curled shot into the far corner.
QPR boss Julien Stephan made four half-time substitutions in an attempt to revive his team's fortunes, and they created the first chance of the second half through Rumarn Burrell's header. However, Millwall came close to a third goal when Josh Coburn's header was miraculously saved by Walsh.
It wasn't until the 89th minute that QPR registered a shot on target, with Nikolas Madsen's effort from 25 yards kept out by Millwall goalkeeper Anthony Patterson. Millwall manager Alex Neil praised his team's aggressive start, stating, 'I thought we needed to start fast. We needed to get the fans onside, we needed to be aggressive, we needed to try and pin them in, sustain pressure.' QPR's Julien Stephan acknowledged his team's lack of intensity in the first half, saying, 'The way how we came on the pitch and the lack of intensity in the first half, I think we struggled a lot and it was not a surprise to see the intensity of how they started the game.'