C. Neghli's late goal secured a vital three points for Millwall Football Club in a 1-0 win at Preston on Saturday. The result lifts the Lions into the top half of the Championship, moving them up to eighth place with 14 points from nine games.
Neghli struck the decisive blow in the 79th minute, finishing from a pass by substitute L. Cundle. It was the midfielder's second goal of the season, following his strike in the recent 2-2 draw with West Ham. The assist was Cundle's first direct contribution since his introduction in the 66th minute.
Team news and tactics
Manager Alex Neil set his side up in a 4-2-3-1 shape and made three second-half changes to protect the lead. T. Crama and Cundle came on for R. Leonard and K. Lisbie after 66 minutes, while M. Sykes replaced T. Arconte eight minutes later. The tactical adjustments helped Millwall see out a game where they edged possession with 54 percent.
Key moments
Despite Preston registering 12 shots, they managed only one on target all afternoon. Millwall created the clearer chances, reflected in an expected goals tally of 1.15 to the hosts' 0.67. The visitors also had three shots on target themselves. Discipline was an issue, with Jenson Metcalfe and Derek Mazou Sacko both receiving yellow cards for fouls.
The victory snaps a two-game losing run in the league and provides a platform ahead of a tough fixtures schedule. Neil's squad, currently missing five players including top scorer L. Dykes who has four goals this term, will need to be at full strength. They host league leaders Swansea at The Den on Tuesday, a match where the latest injuries list will be key.
Millwall's 0-1 home defeat to Swansea on Tuesday was marred by an alleged racist incident. Swansea head coach Vitor Matos stated that a stoppage occurred due to abuse aimed at substitute Ji-sung Eom. The club, now 10th in the Championship with 14 points, confirmed it is aware of an alleged individual incident. Millwall stated it operates a zero-tolerance policy and is working with authorities on an ongoing police investigation.
Millwall manager Alex Neil criticised the lengthy stoppage during Tuesday's 0-1 home defeat to Swansea, which followed an alleged racist incident. Neil stated, "I just don't see the point. Stopping the game doesn't deal with anything. All it does is kill the momentum." The manager confirmed the game was halted for about seven minutes after Swansea's Ji-sung Eom was allegedly abused. The defeat leaves Millwall 10th in the Championship with 14 points from 10 games.
Manager Alex Neil has clarified his criticism of the lengthy stoppage during Tuesday's 0-1 home defeat to Swansea. Neil told reporters his issue was with the process, stating, "It needs to get dealt with, absolutely, but stopping the game doesn't deal with anything. All it does is kill the momentum." The manager explained the delay stemmed from the referee waiting for security to come pitchside to take the report of alleged racist abuse.
