Former Stoke City manager Alex Neil watched as Millwall surged back into the Championship's top‑two positions, clinching a vital play‑off berth with a 3‑1 triumph at the bet365 Stadium. The London side took the initiative early, with Camiel Neghli breaking the deadlock in the first half. His strike set the tone, and Femi Azeez, who was on a prolific run with nine goals for the season, doubled the lead midway through the second half, making it 2‑0 after 55 minutes.
Stoke’s hopes were momentarily revived when Caleb Taylor inadvertently redirected a cross into his own net at the hour mark, giving the home side a brief lifeline. However, Millwall responded swiftly; Josh Coburn struck in the 69th minute, capitalising on a defensive lapse and sealing the three points for the visitors. The win propelled Millwall three points clear of third‑placed Ipswich Town, who are set to travel to Charlton Athletic on Wednesday. Stoke City, whose early‑season optimism is now fading—evidenced by just two victories in their last ten fixtures—gave debut starts to academy prospects Pijus Otegbayo and 18‑year‑old defender Syd Agina.
The Potters nearly opened the scoring in the 12th minute when goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, making his first start since the start of the year, parried a shot from Robert Bozenik. Millwall quickly launched a counter‑attack, but Josh Coburn missed an early chance after a tempting delivery from Tristan Crama.
Neghli, however, demonstrated his finishing prowess twenty minutes later, netting his second consecutive goal. The opportunity arose when Zak Sturge sent a teasing centre‑ball from the left, and Eric Bocat failed to clear it cleanly. Neghli met the ball with a superb left‑foot drive that rose into the top corner, giving Millwall a 1‑0 lead. Four minutes later, Neghli set up a chance for Coburn, who struck from seven yards but blasted over the bar.
Just before halftime, a mis‑directed pass from Crama created an unexpected opening for Lewis Baker, yet Sunderland loanee Patterson kept his composure and saved a 25‑yard effort. In the 48th minute, Patterson was beaten, but his right‑hand upright blocked a volley from Tatsuki Seko after Millwall failed to clear a corner taken by Baker.
Stoke continued to press, and Patterson denied a powerful attempt from Million Manhoef. The tension eased for the 1,302 travelling Millwall supporters when Azeez doubled the lead, finishing a swift counter‑attack.
The winger collected a pass just outside the box and unleashed a fierce left‑foot strike that left Stoke keeper Gavin Bazunu with no chance. Stoke responded almost immediately. Substitute Lamine Cissé, on his first touch, flicked the ball into the six‑yard area, and an accidental touch by Taylor wrong‑footed Patterson, allowing the ball to slip through. Nevertheless, Coburn restored his confidence, scoring his third of the night after Bocat inadvertently set the ball up for Neghli, who then tapped in his tenth goal of the campaign.
After the match, Alex Neil expressed his frustration with the team's recent performances: "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." Neil also highlighted the significance of the victory: "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 win not only cements Millwall's position near the summit but also underscores the growing gap between the promotion contenders and a Stoke side struggling to find consistency.
With only two matches left, Millwall will aim to maintain momentum, while Stoke must regroup and look to salvage pride in their remaining fixtures. The £250,000 Super 6 prize remains up for grabs, free to enter until 3 pm on Saturday.