Talking points from Millwall’s 1-0 win at Sheffield United – Lions maintain record as Palace loanee fails to convert chances

Millwall put themselves right in the mix of making a late surge towards the Championship play-offs after a 1-0 win at Sheffield United on Tuesday night.

Here are Edmund Brack’s talking points from the game:

IMPRESSIVE RECORD

It is now 21 games unbeaten when Millwall have taken the lead in the Championship.

The Lions have picked up 14 wins and seven draws from those games – the type of stat which is carrying them back into the top-six equation.

The South Londoners are the joint-second lowest scorers in the division alongside Hull on 40, but their impenetrable defence, which was without Japhet Tanganga due to a hand injury, kept out the Blades  despite them having 25 attempts at Lukas Jensen’s goal – five on target.

Millwall’s season looked dead and buried after their lacklustre defeat at Leeds in mid-March left an eight-point gap with just nine matches to play.

But just one defeat and three wins in their last four has taken them to the cusp of breaking into the play-offs.

LIONS STRUCK FIRST – BUT MISSED GOLDEN CHANCE

In what was a rather cagey opening 20 minutes at Bramall Lane, it was the Lions who drew first blood in the Steel City from a lovely team move which started with Luke Cundle sweeping the ball into the centre of the pitch for Billy Mitchell.

After combining with Ryan Leonord, the Lions midfielder played through the advancing Casper De Norre, who spun and picked out Josh Coburn.

The Middlesbrough loanee was being forced wide but struck a sweet right-footed effort into the roof of the net and beyond Michael Cooper.

The game opened up in the second half and Coburn had the ball on the breakaway in the 57th minute. He turned provider this time and played through strike partner Mihailo Ivanovic one-on-one with Cooper in the 57th minute.

But instead of taking a touch from the edge of the box and finding a way past Cooper, the Serbian international rushed his effort and shot tamely at the former Plymouth stopper.

Ivanovic, who netted twice in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Portsmouth, was fortunate it was not a chance the Lions were left to rue.

PALACE LOANEE HAD CHANCES TO BREAK LIONS HEARTS

Blades boss Chris Wilder brought on Crystal Palace loanee Jesurun Rak-Sakyi at half-time for Ben Brereton Diaz to try and get back into the game.

The former Charlton winger instantly made an impact and should have brought the game level when he met a pull-back inside the area but fluffed his effort wide.

Rak-Sakyi went close again in the 53rd minute, twisting and turning inside the penalty box and firing at Jensen.

Millwall wanted to take Rak-Sakyi on loan from their South London rivals last summer and he nearly brought the game level in the 85th minute, collecting a pass from Callum O’Hare with his back to goal before firing just wide of the post.

MIDDLESBROUGH GAME IS MASSIVE – BUT NEIL HAS A CONUNDRUM

Without a shadow of doubt, tomorrow’s Championship clash against Middlesbrough is Millwall’s biggest game of the season.

The only sickener for the Lions was Coventry City’s 1-0 win over Portsmouth on Wednesday – Jamie Paterson scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time – to move Frank Lampard’s side into sixth place.

The gap to the top six is now five points instead of the more palatable three after Tuesday’s matches were completed.

It means there is even less wriggle room for Millwall to make any mistakes in their remaining matches.

Both Middlesbrough and the Lions need to win tomorrow. Simple as that. It should make for high drama.

Neil will have to mastermind a plan for his attacking unit without Boro loanee Coburn, who is not able to play against his parent side.

Macaulay Langstaff came on for the final passage of the Sheffield United game but the former Notts County marksman does not offer the same physical presence offered by Coburn, who has scored five goals in 10 Championship starts for Millwall.

Aaron Connolly was also absent from the matchday squad on Tuesday due to an ankle problem, with youngster Ajay Matthews filling the bench.

There is a lack of senior threat from the wide areas on the bench, with 17-year-old Sheldon Kendall the only deputy in the absence of Ra’ees Bangura-Williams and Femi Azeez.