Former Stoke City manager Alex Neil watched as Millwall reclaimed a spot among the Championship's leading pair and secured a place in the play‑offs with a 3‑1 triumph at the bet365 Stadium. The London side surged ahead early when Camiel Neghli netted, giving them a first‑half advantage, and Femi Azeez added his ninth goal of the campaign to make it 2‑0 after the 55th minute. A mis‑taken effort by Caleb Taylor, which resulted in an own‑goal on the hour mark, forced Neil and his squad to scramble, but Josh Coburn sealed the points with a decisive strike in the 69th minute, exploiting a lapse in Stoke's defensive organization.
Millwall's win lifted them three points clear of third‑placed Ipswich Town, who are set to travel to Charlton Athletic on Wednesday. For Stoke, a season that began with promise is now rapidly unraveling; they have managed just two victories in their last ten outings. In an effort to inject fresh energy, Neil handed first‑team debuts to academy prospects Pijus Otegbayo and 18‑year‑old defender Syd Agina.
Stoke almost opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Anthony Patterson, making his first start since the start of the year, saved a low drive from Robert Bozenik. Millwall responded quickly, and although Josh Coburn missed an early chance after a well‑placed cross from Tristan Crama, the Lions continued to press. Neghli, who had already found the net earlier, demonstrated his clinical finishing again after 20 minutes, scoring his second consecutive goal.
The opportunity came from a cleverly delivered centre by Zak Sturge from the left; when Eric Bocat failed to clear cleanly, Neghli curled a powerful left‑foot shot into the top corner. Just four minutes later, Neghli set up a chance for Coburn, who struck the ball from seven yards but saw it sail over the bar.
Near the end of the first half, a misplaced pass from Crama gifted Lewis Baker an unexpected opening, but the on‑loan Sunderland keeper Patterson was equal to the task, denying the City skipper with a comfortable save from 25 yards out. The second half saw Patterson beaten after 48 minutes, yet his upright hand saved a volley from Tatsuki Seko following a Millwall corner that Baker failed to clear. Stoke continued to apply pressure, and Patterson again intervened to block a shot from Millwall's forward Manhoef.
The home crowd, numbering 1,302, breathed a sigh of relief when Azeez doubled the Lions' lead. The winger collected a pass just outside the penalty area and unleashed a fierce left‑foot strike that left Stoke goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu with no chance. Stoke responded immediately, benefiting from a slice of luck.
Substitute Lamine Cissé, on his first touch, delicately flicked the ball into the six‑yard box, where Taylor's inadvertent touch wrong‑footed Patterson, creating a scramble. However, Coburn restored the margin, capitalising on a mistake by Bocat that allowed Neghli to score his tenth goal of the season. After the match, Neil expressed his frustration with the team's recent performances, saying, "I am sick of teams who come here and look ordinary and take the points. This is a team going for automatic promotion so it gives me loads of food for thought.
It has been poor for a while. Summer can't come soon enough, that's for sure.
There are too many at the moment choosing not to give everything. I have got plenty to do. It was not good enough so you have to change things and change the way you go about it.
It is a season that promised so much at the start and has delivered nothing. It is really difficult to get excited about.
In the interim we have had decent performances in a season that hasn't panned out to the level we wanted it to." Reflecting on the achievement, Neil added, "We will fight to the end and see where it takes us. It is the biggest achievement the club has had in the last 24 or 25 years and we still have two games to play. We have our eye on what the next two games look like. We need to try and win those games and let's see what happens elsewhere.
The fact we are in the fight for automatic promotion is an incredible achievement for this team, this club and everyone connected with it. If we end up in the play‑offs we will give it our best shot. There is so much to like about this team and I'm privileged I have this opportunity to coach them. For us to be on 79 points (Millwall's second highest second‑tier tally) with two games remaining has been a dream season for us in terms of what our expectations would have been." The victory not only solidifies Millwall's position near the summit but also adds pressure on Stoke, whose recent form suggests a battle against relegation may be looming.
As the season draws to a close, both clubs will look to their remaining fixtures to define their final standing, while fans eagerly await the outcome of the promotion race.