Portsmouth climbed six points clear of the Championship relegation zone with a 3-1 win over Millwall at The Den, completing a league double over the promotion-chasing Lions and securing a second 3-1 victory in south London in the space of five days. Goals from Gustavo Caballero, John Swift and captain Marlon Pack delivered the points for John Mousinho's side, while Casper de Norre's fine strike amounted to little more than consolation on an afternoon when Portsmouth's second-half intensity proved decisive.
Millwall came into the game chasing a fourth win in five and with just one defeat in their previous 10 league outings, but their pursuit of automatic promotion suffered a setback as they were picked off after the interval. Results elsewhere meant the damage in the table was limited, with Alex Neil's side still only six points behind second-placed Middlesbrough after they drew with Oxford and Ipswich lost to Wrexham, yet the Millwall head coach was left frustrated by what he saw as a failure to do the basics well enough against a hungry Portsmouth side.
By contrast, John Mousinho's team built on Tuesday's 3-1 success at Charlton with another disciplined away display that married collective defending with sharp counter-attacking. Pompey shaded a scrappy first half in which both goalkeepers were tested, then seized control within seconds of the restart and never fully relinquished it, weathering Millwall's brief revival before Pack's third goal ensured they would make the journey back to the south coast with maximum points once again.
Physical first half sees visitors edge a scrappy contest