Millwall 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday: Ike Ugbo and Anthony Musaba goals give Owls vital win in relegation battle
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Anthony Musaba scored his sixth goal of the season in Sheffield Wednesday's 2-0 win at Millwall
Sheffield Wednesday gave their Championship survival hopes a boost by claiming an important three points against fellow strugglers Millwall.
First-half goals from Ike Ugbo and Anthony Musaba sealed the Owls' second win in three games to move them within four points of the Lions.
The away side had substitute Ashley Fletcher sent-off in added time but it mattered little as Millwall's winless run stretched to eight matches.
Joe Edwards' side now sit just one point outside the relegation zone with London rivals QPR moving closer to them after a win at Bristol City.
Millwall started brightly and with energy, just as they have often done in recent weeks, but were unable to carve out any meaningful chances and the away side went in front shortly after the half-hour mark.
Musaba turned Ryan Leonard to break free down the left-hand side before sending a dangerous ball into the box, which was turned home by Ugbo who had raced in ahead of Lions defender Murray Wallace to score his third goal since joining the club on loan in January.
The Owls doubled their lead four minutes before the break when Barry Bannan's through ball exploited the gap between centre-backs Leonard and Japhet Tanganga, with Musaba rolling the ball into the far corner for his sixth goal of the season.
Zian Flemming and substitute Duncan Watmore both went close for the home side in the second half but they could not find a way past Wednesday goalkeeper James Beadle.
Fletcher's red card was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect afternoon for the Owls.
The forward, who came on in the 79th minute, received a booking for kicking the ball away before he was shown a second yellow card and then a red after committing a foul just 13 minutes after joining the action.
Wednesday stay second from bottom but are now three points adrift of 22nd placed QPR and four points behind Millwall who are 21st.
Millwall head coach Joe Edwards told BBC Radio London:
"It's going to be difficult [to win games]. We're in a period where confidence is clearly at a low, which is understandable.
"You see it when the players are out there; there's a lot of good intention and attitude before every game but there's moments in games where we can feel it's not coming off as well as it was five or six weeks ago.
"Or a moment goes against us, like conceding the first goal, then the game just looks more difficult to us at the moment than it should be.
"We're getting punished again - two shots on our goal, two goals. And then everything we're trying at the top end of the pitch isn't quite coming off and fizzling out, so it's a difficult period.
"I'm sure it's not going to get any easier so we have to stick together and keep fighting."
Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl told BBC Radio Sheffield:
"We knew it would be difficult to come here. It was a great performance from our team and now we come closer to [the teams above] but everybody knows it's still a long way to go.
"Now we need to go until the international break and get as many points as we can."