Derby County 1-2 Millwall: In-form Lions claim comfortable win at Rams

Millwall are seven points off the play-offs after three successive wins

Derby County's Championship survival hopes were hit by a home defeat by in-form Millwall.

The Lions took the lead in just the second minute when Jed Wallace's wide free-kick went past everyone and found the back of the net.

Tyler Burey, who had earlier missed a great chance, made it 2-0 to the visitors before the break with a powerful close range finish.

Derby made a game of it in the second half and Jake Cooper's late own goal gave them hope but Gary Rowett's men held out and they have now won three in a row.

The Rams remain eight points behind 21st-placed Reading, after the Royals secured back-to-back wins with a 2-1 success over Birmingham on Tuesday.

Wallace's early goal stunned the home side and they were probably fortunate to only be two goals down at the break.

Wayne Rooney brought Colin Kazim-Richards and Ravel Morrison on at half-time and the latter headed over before the former saw his cross turned into his own goal by Cooper with two minutes to go.

However, they could not find a leveller and travel to play-off chasing Luton on Saturday in desperate need of another win.

The Lions host rampant Sheffield United on the same day.

Derby manager Wayne Rooney:

"We conceded two sloppy goals and then give Millwall credit they defended the box very well.

"But we kept pushing and I can't knock the players, they kept going to the end and kept fighting.

"We will keep going and keep fighting. It's a setback and a bad result but we'll lose more games from now to the end of the season and it's about the games we win.

"We need to turn some of the draws, especially away from home into wins, and we will keep fighting."

Millwall boss Gary Rowett:

"We've had some good results here but it's a tough place to come and what I would say is Derby have done incredibly well this season.

"I think football sometimes transcends rivalry and you have to just say they've done an incredible job. It would have been very easy to be demotivated but a young team and Wayne, a young manager, have been brilliant.

"I thought we were fairly comfortable first half and we had a period in the second where we looked really, really comfortable and it was probably the most innocuous ball into the box all game that ends up causing us a problem.

"It made for a really nervy last five or six minutes and I felt like a last minute goal was coming but in fairness to the players we dug in and got what I thought was a deserved result."