Millwall's blistering start proved decisive as they secured a 2-0 victory over QPR in the Sky Bet Championship, propelling them back into second place in the standings. A win had eluded the Lions in four of their previous five games, but early strikes from Derek Mazou-Sacko and Camiel Neghli allowed them to dominate the London derby from the outset. With this win, Alex Neil's side leapfrogged Ipswich, who face Middlesbrough on Sunday, as the battle for promotion to the Premier League next season intensifies.
Millwall took the lead after just three minutes when Mazou-Sacko capitalized on a loose ball from Femi Azeez's cross to score his first goal for the club with a powerful finish from outside the area. The hosts continued to press, with Tristan Crama heading over from Casper De Norre's cross, before Neghli doubled the lead in the 17th minute with a beautifully curled shot into the far corner.
Millwall's relentless pressure yielded further opportunities, including Josh Coburn's header being tipped over by QPR goalkeeper Joe Walsh, and Zak Sturge's shot into the side netting. At halftime, QPR boss Julien Stephan made four substitutions in an effort to change the dynamics of the game. The visitors created their first chance of the second half through substitute Rumarn Burrell, who headed wide from Jake Clarke-Salter's cross. Ilias Chair, making his return from injury, came close to reducing the deficit with a low shot from outside the area that went wide of the near post.
Millwall did not replicate their first-half attacking verve but came close to a third goal when Coburn met Azeez's cross, only for Walsh to make a stunning leg save. It wasn't until the 89th minute that QPR registered their first shot on target, with Nikolas Madsen's effort from 25 yards being kept out by Millwall goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.
Post-match, Millwall's Alex Neil praised his team's aggressive start, stating, 'I thought we needed to start fast... We just needed to get ourselves on top of them.' QPR's Julien Stephan acknowledged his team's lack of intensity in the first half, admitting, 'We struggled a lot... We didn't succeed in finding a way to compete.'