Former Stoke City manager Alex Neil watched as Millwall reclaimed a spot in the Championship's top two and cemented a place in the play‑offs after a 3‑1 triumph at the bet365 Stadium. The London side surged ahead early when Camiel Neghli scored, giving the Lions a first‑half lead, and Femi Azeez added his ninth goal of the campaign to make it 2‑0 after 55 minutes. A defensive mishap from Caleb Taylor, who turned the ball into his own net at the hour mark, briefly unsettled Stoke before Josh Coburn sealed the three points with a 69th‑minute strike, exploiting a lapse in the home side's back line.
The win lifted Millwall 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 only two victories in their last ten matches. Neil gave his academy prospects Pijus Otegbayo and 18‑year‑old defender Syd Agina their first starts of the campaign, hoping fresh legs might spark a turnaround.
Stoke almost claimed an early lead when Anthony Patterson, making his first start since the start of the year, denied Robert Bozenik with a smart save in the 12th minute. Millwall responded quickly, and although Josh Coburn missed an early chance after a tempting cross from Tristan Crama, the Lions soon found the back of the net.
At the 20‑minute mark, Neghli demonstrated his finishing prowess for a second consecutive game. Zak Sturge delivered a teasing left‑foot centre, and when Millwall defender Eric Bocat failed to clear it cleanly, Neghli curled a superb rising left‑foot shot past the Stoke goalkeeper. Just four minutes later, Neghli turned provider, but Coburn's effort from seven yards flew over the bar.
Near the end of the first half, Crama mis‑directed a pass that gave Lewis Baker an unexpected opening; however, on‑loan Sunderland keeper Patterson was equal to the task, saving Baker's 25‑yard effort. The second half saw Patterson beaten at the 48‑minute mark, 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 again intervened to deny a strike from Million Manhoef.
The tension eased for the 1,302 travelling Millwall supporters when Azeez doubled the lead. The winger collected a pass just outside the penalty area and unleashed a ferocious left‑foot shot that proved too powerful for Stoke keeper Gavin Bazunu. Stoke reacted instantly, benefitting from a slice of luck. Substitute Lamine Cissé, on his first touch, flicked the ball into the six‑yard box, and Taylor's inadvertent touch wrong‑footed Patterson, creating a chaotic moment.
Nevertheless, Coburn recovered his composure and, after Bocat inadvertently set the ball up for Neghli, the forward netted his tenth goal of the season to make it 3‑1. After the match, 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 praised his side's resilience: "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 result also has financial implications for fans, with a £250,000 prize pool up for grabs in the Super 6 competition, which remains free to enter until the deadline at 3 pm on Saturday.
The victory not only boosts Millwall's league position but also adds momentum as they chase automatic promotion, while Stoke must regroup quickly to avoid slipping further down the table.