Femi Azeez's second-half wonder strike capped a dominant Millwall display as Alex Neil's reshaped side cruised to a 3-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion at The Den. Captain Jake Cooper's first-half opener and a thumping late finish from Zak Sturge completed a comprehensive home win that lifted the Lions up to eighth in the Championship, level on points with the Baggies.
Millwall, stung by a hefty midweek defeat to Coventry City and a third home loss in four games, responded with a vastly improved performance in both boxes after Neil made seven changes to his starting XI. West Brom, beaten in the league for only the second time this season but now with three defeats in their past five matches, never truly recovered from a passive start that their head coach Ryan Mason later condemned as the team's worst showing of the campaign.
Neil's seven changes transform the Lions' energy
Any lingering anxiety around The Den after Wednesday's loss quickly gave way to purpose. Neil's new-look line-up pressed aggressively and moved the ball with far more conviction, almost taking the lead inside 10 minutes when Thierno Ballo hung up a cross to the far post. Josh Coburn nodded it back across goal and Cooper's header was clawed away by West Brom goalkeeper Josh Griffiths, a sign of the captain's aerial dominance and the pressure the hosts were about to exert.