Millwall's blistering start secured a crucial 2-0 victory over QPR in the Sky Bet Championship, propelling them back into second place. The win came after a sluggish run of one victory in their previous five matches, which had stalled their promotion push. Early goals from Derek Mazou-Sacko and Camiel Neghli allowed Millwall to dominate the London derby from the outset.
Alex Neil's side now sits one point above Ipswich, who face fellow promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough on Sunday, as the battle for Premier League spots nears its conclusion. The hosts took the lead after just three minutes when Mazou-Sacko capitalized on a loose ball to score his first goal for the club, easing the nerves of the home supporters who had witnessed their team lose their last two home games. Millwall continued to press, with Neghli scoring his side's second goal in the 17th minute after being set up by Mazou-Sacko.
The visitors made four half-time substitutions in an attempt to turn the game around, but Millwall's defense held firm, with goalkeeper Anthony Patterson making a crucial save in the 89th minute to deny QPR a consolation goal. 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 boss 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.'