Championship points remain the focus but Millwall more than happy with Carabao distraction

Evening daylight at the Den : Picture by @YTJourno

Carabao Cup Second Round

Millwall (1) 2 Luongo 33, Grant 76

Coventry City (0) 1 Wright pen 89

Into the hat they go for the third round. It may not have been their biggest ambition for the season but it'll do nicely anyway.

A goal in each half from corners was enough to guide a much-changed Lions side through some choppy-water moments during the second half. It was reward for a sound defensive showing that unused sub Jake Cooper will have admired. Keeper Max Crocombe also had a fine night as he was once again given the gloves for a League Cup assignment.

The Lions were wiped out in their first home match of the campaign by Middlesbrough but they have had such fun on the road that it hardly seems to have mattered.

Away wins at Norwich and Sheffield United - as well as at Newport in the opening round of this competition - have made for a happy enough launch to the season.

Progress in the Carabao Cup might be fun but the fact only three players who started at Bramall Lane featured from the outset tonight tells you much about Alex Neil's priorities this season.

That is very much the case for Frank Lampard too. His side thrashed QPR 7-1 on Saturday to lay down an early marker in terms of promotion credentials. He too opted to select only three of the weekend starters at kick-off.

A sparse crowd underlined the rather underwhelming nature of this stage of the competition for most sides unless a glamour tie is drawn out of the hat. The top tiers around the Den were all closed apart from at the away end, where the Sky Blues fans made most of the noise. It was one for the connoisseurs.

Kevin Nisbet headed in a deep cross from Wes Harding but was flagged offside. Ellis Simms looked a threat and drew a yellow-card shirt tug from Kamarl Grant and it needed a good block from skipper-for-the-night Joe Bryan to divert a rasping drive from the striker.

Bryan ought to have a soft spot for this competition. He once bagged a screamer in a win against Man United for a Bristol City side that reached the semi-finals a few years ago. Not that he lasted the distance. He was replaced at the interval, along with first-half goalscorer, Massimo Luongo.

The Lions edged the first 45 minutes - the pace and energy of Aidomo Emakhu a feature of many of their attacks - and from a corner, Luongo span onto his right foot to divert a knock down low past keeper Ben Wilson for his first goal for the club since signing in the summer from Ipswich.

Matt Grimes struck the outside of a post from a free-kick as Coventry almost responded immediately but it was not until the turnaround that City upped their game.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden came close to levelling it with a firm downward header at the end of Miguel Brau's cross that Crocombe got down well to. Lampard brought on First-team regulars Haji Wright and Jack Rudoni to try and salvage the game.

But with a quarter of an hour to go, the Lions profited from another set piece as Grant headed home from a corner just as Coventry had been working up a head of steam.

The alert Crocombe stretched to keep out a blistering long-ranger from Rudoni, then used his legs to block Wright's crack at goal as Coventry refused to throw in the towel.

The always-dangerous Wright won a penalty after inducing a foul from Harding and the striker buried the spot-kick low to the keeper's right for a merited consolation goal. City even had a late chance with Brau firing over but the Lions held firm.

Next up for Millwall is a return to the bread and butter, with showbiz side Wrexham in South London.

Lions: (4-4-2) Crocombe - Bryan (Mayor h/t), Crama, Grant, Harding - Kelly, Luongo (De Norre h/t), Cundle (Bangura-Williams 62), Howland - Nisbet (Matthews 62), Emakhu

Sky Blues: (4-4-2) Wilson - Kesler-Hayden, Thomas (Kitching h/t), Bidwell, Brau - Raphael (Dasilva 60), Grimes, Allen (Torp 69), Andrews (Rudoni 60) - Simms (Wright 69), Thomas-Asante

Attendance: 7,048