Millwall survive testing night to leapfrog Bristol City into the play-off zone

By Yann Tear at The Den
Dec 29, 2025
2 min read

Night Lions on the prowl: Picture by @YTJourno

Championship

Millwall (1) 2 Neghli 16, Langstaff 81

Bristol City (0) 1 Randell 49

Sometimes it is no-nonsense man on the terrace who comes up with the best summary of a game. "F knows how we won that," voiced a happy Lions fan departing the Den after seeing Millwall complete a quickfire double over the Robins.

A recent 1-0 win at Ashton Gate was mired in the controversy of the late spat which saw Alex Neil end up on the turf and a mass melee. This one did not have the same histrionics but did have the same outcome the Lions desired - even if it is something of a mystery that they managed to edge it.

Bristol City impressed during long spells of dominance, particularly at the start of the second half when they soon cancelled out a first half lead for the hosts, chiselled out with a rare shot at goal. Camiel Neghli's goal had given Neil's men a fortunate lead but they were in danger of being blitzed after Adam Randell levelled it.

Suddenly the Robins were swarming. Exchanging passes in pretty passages of play that had the Lions hanging on for dear life and unable to hold onto possession for any length of time before hoofing clearances upfield to invite the next waves of attack.

City should have profited from all that ball retention and skilful play but despite racking up 16 shots to eight and bossing the xG, they could not make it count.

Instead, Millwall dug in, found some equilibrium and poached a hugely unexpected (and maybe undeserved winner) when sub Macauley Langstaff stabbed in from close range after Danny McNamara, another sub, had flashed a cross-shot that came off defender Cameron Pring to gift Langstaff the opening he needed.

The key to the Lions' recovery was down to the contribution of those brought into the fray - with Thierno Ballo's introduction on 73 minutes particularly significant. The Austrian finally got the home side on the front foot, causing problems with his bursts down the right flank which wrestled back some of the initiative that had been surrendered for such a long passage of play.

It was a night when little slices of luck went the right way. Even the opening goal owed something to fortune as Zak Sturge's cross into the box reached Neghli after taking a deflection of a defender's header. But however lucky they might have been, they were also resilient in defying all the evidence pointing towards a likely away win.

Under the cosh they may have been for much of it, but the Lions end 2025 in a very healthy fifth place.

Lions: (4-2-3-1) Crocombe - Crama, Taylor, Cooper, Sturge (Bryan 73) - Doughty (Ballo 73). Mitchell - Bangura-Williams (Lanstaff 55), Neghli, Emakhu (McNamara 55) - Ivanovic