Millwall 1-0 Stoke City: Nisbet strike ensures Lions down Potters
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Kevin Nisbet slotted Millwall ahead 38 minutes into the match against Stoke with his first goal since joining the club
Millwall had to cling on to end a run of three straight home defeats to secure a morale-boosting 1-0 win against Stoke City at The Den.
Gary Rowett's Lions got back to winning ways against his old club, after three straight defeats in all competitions, thanks to Kevin Nisbet's low finish shortly before half-time.
Stoke rang the changes at the break but spurned a host of chances to equalise with top scorer Andre Vidigal denied by a fine Matija Sarkic save and Tyrese Campbell hitting the woodwork deep into stoppage time.
The Potters are now winless in their last six league visits to Millwall, who have won five of their last six meetings.
The visitors began brightly when Vidigal saw an early shot blocked, but Potters keeper Mark Travers then blocked a free-kick from Zian Flemming, produced a fingertip save to deny Jake Cooper's towering header and held Brooke Norton-Cuffy's deflected long-range drive.
Another fierce Flemming free-kick was pushed away by Travers, diving low to his left, but he was eventually beaten on 38 minutes when Ryan Leonard's long throw was helped on by Flemming to Nisbet, who took a touch before slotting low past the keeper.
Potters boss Alex Neil made four changes at half-time, bringing on Ben Pearson, Mehdi Leris, Campbell and handing a debut to new arrival Wouter Burger, with Ki-Jana Hoever, Josh Tymon, Jordan Thompson and Josh Laurent withdrawn.
Those substitutes changed the game and Campbell soon wriggled some space on the edge of the box to have a shot saved by Sarkic and Pearson sliced wide soon after, while on the hour Vidigal was played clean through, only to fire over with only Sarkic to beat.
Campbell curled just past the upright and Leris fizzed over the bar inside the final 20 minutes before in stoppage time Sarkic superbly denied Vidigal a fifth goal in six games and then Campbell's last-gasp header came back off the post.
Ex-Potters boss Rowett has now lost just lost three of 12 home league games as Millwall manager against sides he has previously managed.
Millwall manager Gary Rowett told BBC Radio London:
"We started well and looked a lot more like us, certainly at home, front-foot, a bit more aggressive.
"We dominated the second ball and pinned them in. There seemed to be a bit more aggression about the team.
"First half was a really good performance. Going in 1-0 up was a better feeling than last week."
Stoke boss Alex Neil told BBC Radio Stoke:
"The fans could see our dominance in the second half, the chances we created. We should have at least drawn and we arguably could have won because we had the best chances throughout the match.
"We didn't do well enough in the first half. Our use of the ball was poor. You never want to take four players off at the same time but I had to do something to try and positively impact the game.
"We changed the shape and from that point I thought we were going to win the game, let alone draw it."