MILLWALL could not hold off their rampant rivals Leeds United and fell to defeat at Elland Road.
A goal in the first half by Wilfried Gnonto before his replacement Dan James scored in the second put the game beyond a Lions side who struggled to get a foothold all afternoon.
It marks the first defeat for Neil Harris since his return to Millwall with his side unable to spring a surprise on one of the big boys like they did last month at Southampton.
But ultimately Leeds, who will now go into the international break top of the Championship for the first time this season, just had too much for their visitors who had to rely on Matija Sarkic to make some big saves.
They will go into the run-in four points clear of the bottom three but with a gaggle of teams separating them from the drop zone.
It quickly became clear why Leeds came into this game fighting towards the top of the division.
Daniel Farke’s side moved the ball quickly and with precision, shifting the Millwall defence around far more in the opening stages than Southampton managed for most of the game at St Mary’s last month.
That victory, which announced the Neil Harris return to the rest of the Championship, saw the Lions nick an early goal to set the stage but they barely threatened the opposition defence throughout the first half.
Instead, it was Leeds knocking on the door with Rutter having an effort blocked by what appeared to be Billy Mitchell’s arm in the box before Crysencio Summerville slashed the rebound against the side-netting after 12 minutes.
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Leeds kept on coming and Jake Cooper soon found himself fending off Gnonto by the corner flag. The big centre-half was slow to remove his six-foot frame off the prone Italian, leading Gnonto to react angrily and the two were left wrestling. Both were booked.
They were the first of seven yellow cards in a frequently tetchy game and the first of three incidents where Cooper would tangle with a Leeds player.
He and his teammates had to begin managing the match such was Leeds’ dominance and proceeded to break the game up to take the fire out of the hosts.
But that strategy would only work until the 32nd minute. After a series of half-chances, the Leeds attack poured forward again as Georginio Rutter found Gnonto before the Italian cut inside on his left and unleashed a stunning effort that flew past Sarkic.
Leeds remained in control as Crysencio Summerville, who was a constant menace down the left, almost made it 2-0 after 42 minutes but was denied by a brilliant one-handed Sarkic save.
And from the resulting corner, Cooper – having minutes earlier left Rutter in a heap with a flailing hand – crashed into Joe Rodon in the box.
Referee Stephen Martin repeatedly drew the ire of home fans in the first half and waved away the appeals after this incident, with Cooper lucky to escape punishment.
The half-time break proved to only a be brief respite for Millwall who quickly found themselves pinned back against a Leeds side who committed bodies forward with abandon.
Ryan Leonard continued to find Summerville difficult to contain and took him down twice around the penalty box within a few minutes, the second for which he was booked. Luckily for the Millwall defender, the Dutchman wasted both free-kicks.
Leonard would soon be off as part of a raft of substitutions just after the hour mark as Harris looked to get his side going.
One of the subs, Ryan Longman, cut in and let fly a couple of minutes after his introduction but the effort was high and wide.
At the other end, Leeds had a far better chance as Junior Firpo sent a low cross into the box for Rutter. Sarkic had to make a double save to keep out his effort with the post also coming to Millwall’s aide.
The hard work done defensively to keep out Leeds’ rampant attack meant the Lions were still in this game, even if they had largely felt like rebellious passengers throughout.
And suddenly some chances started to emerge: Cooper put an effort wide after a scramble in the box before Michael Obafemi forced Illan Meslier into a save and then fired over after great footwork in the area.
Leeds seemed to smell the danger and finally put the game beyond Millwall. The formidable Rutter forced his way into the box and put it on a plate for substitute James, who hesitated before finally slamming it home.
Replays seemed to show that Rutter’s foot was offside in the build-up but Leeds will believe they earned their luck with their forceful display.
James almost grabbed another as he thundered an effort against the post in stoppage time.
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Millwall: 4-4-1-1: Sarkic; Leonard (McNamara 62′), Tanganga, Cooper (c), Bryan; Norton-Cuffy (Longman 62′), Mitchell (De Norre 62′), Saville, Honeyman (Watmore 62′); Flemming; Obafemi.
Leeds: 4-2-3-1: Meslier; Gray, Rodon, Ampadu (c), Firpo; Kamara (Roberts 90+1′), Gruev; Gnonto (James 69′), Rutter (Piroe 90+1′), Summerville (Anthony 74′); Bamford (Joseph 90+1′).
Referee: Stephen Martin
Attendance: 34,813
