Martyn Woolford and Scott Malone's
second-half efforts were enough to give Millwall victory over bitter
rivals Leeds United at the New Den.
Woolford
struck after 65 minutes and Malone 11 minutes later to give the Lions
their third successive Championship victory and condemn Leeds to their
third league loss in as many games.
In
a typically feisty atmosphere, Rodolph Austin broke forward from
midfield in the second minute and fired a long-range effort that went
just wide of David Forde's goal.
Winning moment: Scott Malone's goal for Millwall sent both the players and fans wild
After
that the first 15 minutes were scrappy and tight, both sides exchanging
possession but not creating any real clear-cut chances.
That was until Stephen Warnock was shown an 18th minute yellow card for a cynical foul on Woolford as the Lions broke forward.
On
25 minutes, Alex Mowatt received Michael Tonge's chipped through-ball
as he darted into the area and attempted a hooked shot but his effort
was collected by Forde.
Millwall's
first real chance saw Martyn Waghorn hit the post with a 29th-minute
shot after darting into the box and Woolford rifled the rebound high and
wide.
Three minutes later, Waghorn's left-wing corner found Danny Shittu who headed his effort wide of Paddy Kenny's goal.
Luke
Murphy, a summer signing from Crewe, replied for the Whites with a
driven long-range effort in the 37th minute but his shot rose
comfortably over the bar.
Another
ex-Crewe man, Luke Varney then attempted an ambitious overhead kick a
few minutes later but his effort was also off-target.
Battle: Millwall's Jermaine Easter (left) and Leeds' Alex Mowatt fight it out in the midfield
Millwall
had a penalty appeal turned down just before the break by Chris Foy
after Malone darted into the box and was adjudged to have been tackled
cleanly by Austin.
In
first-half stoppage-time, Jason Pearce found himself under pressure in
the Millwall box and launched a close-range effort into the stands.
After the break, Liam Trotter tried his luck from range like many others did but his shot was as wayward as several before him.
Ross
McCormack should have given Leeds a 48th-minute lead but he failed to
connect properly with Mowatt's teasing left-wing cross.
Losing: Leeds' boss Brian McDermott gesticulates as his team went down to defeat
The
Lions opened the scoring just after the hour when Woolford received the
ball on the edge of the area and guided his shot past a diving Kenny.
As Leeds searched for an equaliser, Brian McDermott threw on Sam Byram and Matt Smith as the Yorkshire club went more attacking.
But Malone put the tie to bed with a cool 76th-minute strike after exchanging passes well with Liam Trotter.
The
home side nearly had a third three minutes later when Waghorn forced a
good save from Kenny and the rebound was just missed by Woolford.
Cruncher: Ross McCormack evades the tackle of Alan Dunne
And
with the resulting punt up field, Malone deflected the ball past his
goalkeeper and rushed back to make amends with a goal-line clearance.
Millwall again nearly added a third through Woolford with four minutes left after his chip over an onrushing Kenny hit the post.
But Steve Lomas' men ran the clock down to register their 600th victory in second-tier football.
Joking around: Malone gives his team-mates something to laugh about after scoring the second
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