Middlesbrough vs Millwall match report: Millwall sinking fast as Boro climb into the lead

Middlesbrough 3 Millwall 0

Patrick Bamford of Middlesbrough celebrates scoring the opening goal with Enrique Garcia (GETTY IMAGES)

Middlesbrough moved back to the top of the Championship to give themselves the perfect platform to address the quartet of fixtures against Nottingham Forest, Ipswich, Derby and Bournemouth that will define their promotion ambitions.

Given their next 17 days, this was a match Boro could not afford to lose and, hungry and aggressive at times, with moments of creativity, they were simply too strong for a Millwall side that were lightweight rather than incompetent.

With Lee Tomlin again emphasising his value, first-half goals from Patrick Bamford and Kike settled Boro after Saturday’s loss at Sheffield Wednesday. Substitute Jelle Vossen added a third.

For Ian Holloway and Millwall there were no such luxuries. This was a third consecutive defeat for the Londoners, one that leaves them stranded third-bottom, six points adrift of safety. There were already questions about Holloway’s future and they will only get louder. The 162 Millwall fans had little to cheer.

Millwall arrived having taken eight points from 30 in 2015. One consolation was that their away form has been better than at The Den, but after 30 minutes that didn’t seem like one.

In truth, Millwall had been competitive yet were 2-0 down. Had Lee Gregory converted his 16th-minute chance, some nerves would surely have afflicted Boro.

But Dimi Konstantopoulos saved with his left leg and 10 minutes later Boro were one up. They had already missed two chances – a weak header from Kike was followed by a goalline clearance from Shaun Williams to deny Tomlin.

But Tomlin and Albert Adomah then combined. Their movement was fast and Adomah’s low cross was met by a Kike dummy that wrong-footed the Millwall defence. Bamford, unmarked, was left with the whole goal to aim at. He had not scored for three games but his finish from 12 yards was emphatic.

Four minutes later, Bamford was delivering the final pass, from a clever Adam Clayton through-ball, and Kike bundled the ball in over the confused, agonised figure of David Forde, who was anticipating a sweeter connection.

Little of note happened in the second half until Vossen rounded of a run from the impressive Adomah. By then news of Derby’s defeat was beginning to filter through. “We’re going up,” sang the Riverside.