Mihailo Ivanovic came up with a rare moment of quality to give Millwall their first win of the Alex Neil era
Mihailo Ivanovic provided a moment of quality in a bruising encounter at Luton to provide Alex Neil with his first win as Millwall manager.
The Serbia international striker volleyed home the only goal to bring the Lions just their second away win of the season and avenge Luton's win at The Den in September - the Hatters' only triumph on the road.
In midweek, Neil was cruelly denied his first victory since taking the reins last month, as Cardiff scored a stoppage-time equaliser.
It looked like his bad luck was continuing as Aaron Connolly won and then missed a first-half penalty, but Ivanovic came to the rescue in a game low on quality.
Victory came at a cost for the Londoners, as midfielder Calum Scanlon limped off in the opening 20 minutes before goalkeeper Lukas Jensen was forced off late on after right-backs Dan McNamara and Ryan Leonard suffered long-term problems in midweek.
On the plus side, Scanlon's replacement Connolly pepped up the Lions attack after a desperately dull opening half-hour, having their first goal attempt just after the half-hour mark which Thomas Kaminski beat around the post.
Carlton Morris was the Hatters' prime threat as they also sought to give their new manager Matt Bloomfield a first win, but Kaminski blocked his towering header and then the striker glanced a header over the bar from a corner as both sides relied heavily on set-pieces.
Connolly was giving the home defence problems, and when he carved in from the left flank, Marvelous Nakamba's lazy challenge saw him tumble and then pick himself up to take the resultant spot-kick.
It was the first penalty of his club career and it showed, as he drove a low shot down the middle and Kaminski saved with his trailing leg.
Morris got on the end of yet another cross only to see his header flash across the face of goal and past the far post, while at the other end, Connolly played in Duncan Watmore, only for the former Middlesbrough man to drag his shot wide.
Ivanovic's moment came just after the hour mark as Raees Bangura-Williams found him just outside the box with a high pass. Taking it on his chest, he touched it past a defender and looped a volley into the far corner of the net for his fourth goal of the season.
The Serb almost added a second as he smashed a volley into the ground, with Kaminski forced to tip the bouncing ball over the bar, while at the other end Jordan Clark had a shot well saved by Jensen.
Luton manager Matt Bloomfield told BBC Radio Three Counties:
"That wasn't as good as the first two performances we've seen this week - they were very good in different elements, but we only picked up one point and it could have been more.
"Today, that wasn't us. We were leggy and didn't have the same energy and intensity about us, but a lot of the players who have gone again today are not used to three-game weeks.
"We made four changes and maybe could have done more to get the energy on the pitch.
"We're disappointed. We had some big chances and it was scrappy but, unfortunately for us, the one quality moment was the one Millwall came up with."
Millwall head coach Alex Neil told BBC Radio London:
"The result was the most important thing. But the manner in which we did it was even more important to me.
"It wasn't a smash-and-grab, and it wasn't a case of us not deserving it. We thoroughly deserved it when you think of the chances in the game.
"Everyone knows we're light [on players] at the moment so to put in the performance we did, having missed a penalty and conceded a 97th-minute equaliser in the last game, that's a lot of things going against you and it shows the lads' hunger and determination to succeed.
"We don't know how Lukas (Jensen) is going to be. Calum's (Scanlon) is a bad one at the moment - I think it's a hamstring so we'll get that scanned."
