Millwall 2 Aston Villa 1 – Ferguson and Elliott net as Lions deservedly end wait for Championship win

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

Millwall ended their eight-game winless run in the Championship with Shane Ferguson and Tom Elliott on target.

It was the duo’s first league goals of the campaign and ensured that the Lions built on an impressive point at Forest on Wednesday night.

Tammy Abraham had put Villa into an early lead but Ferguson cancelled that out before the interval.

And Elliott drove in from close-range early in the second half to secure maximum points for Neil Harris’ side, who fully merited maximum points.

Millwall did not have the ideal start as they went behind in the seventh minute. Conor Hourihane curled in a dangerous free-kick and Abraham was first to the ball as he stuck out a long leg to finish past Ben Amos.

But the Lions fought back well, with Lee Gregory’s hold-up play at its very best a major factor in that.

Orjan Nyland managed to save a deflected Shaun Williams shot, Gregory did brilliantly to nudge Axel Tuanzebe aside as the pair initially chased a ball down the left.

Jake Cooper pushed John McGinn away as he met a Williams corner but could not keep his header down before Ryan Leonard tried a hugely ambitious 25-yard shot when slipping in Jed Wallace, romping forward to his right, seemed the better option.

But moments later it was 1-1. It was another set-piece which led to it as a free-kick was driven in on the diagonal, Cooper guided it down and Ferguson rifled in – with the ball nicking off Tuanzebe.

The Villa defender made a critical block on a Wallace shot after Gregory waited for options in the area and picked out the Republic of Ireland international.

Williams was not far away at all with a ferocious strike that zipped just over Nyland’s crossbar.

The Lions were in the ascendency and that was not disrupted by half time as they went ahead just three minutes after the restart.

A bout of penalty box pinball ended with Elliott leathering in from 10 yards out.

Villa tried to provide a response. Ahmed Elmohamady headed a Hourihane corner over at the near post and then the former cued up James Bree for a bullet diving header past the right upright.

Millwall nearly made it 3-1 on 60 minutes but Williams’ header from a Ferguson corner crashed down off the underside of the Villa crossbar.

Gregory drove a 30-yard right-footed shot wide before Leonard blasted over as substitute Steve Morison nodded the ball down into his path.

Gregory turned provider to create an opening for Morison but his shot scuffed off Tuanzebe and out for a corner.

Millwall: Amos, Romeo, Cooper, M Wallace, Meredith, Williams, Leonard, J Wallace, Ferguson, Elliott, Gregory. Subs: Archer, Bradshaw, Webster, Tunnicliffe, Morison, O’Brien, Skalak.