Report | Millwall 1 Swansea City 0
Swansea City’s winning run came to an end as George Saville’s first-half goal gave Millwall the spoils at The Den.
The hosts had the better of much of the opening half, and took the lead when midfielder Saville pounced on a loose ball at the far post to fire home.
Lawrence Vigouroux had also made a couple of key saves for the visitors, but they were vastly improved after the break.
Jisung Eom and Zan Vipotnik had big chances to grab a point and extend Swansea’s unbeaten run of seven games, but could not find the target.
The Swans showed one enforced change from the win at QPR as Hannes Delcroix came in with Harry Darling our injured.
Millwall, meanwhile, were unchanged from their victory over Norwich on Easter Monday.
The Lions should have led inside five minutes when they broke sharply from a corner and a missed interception allowed Josh Coburn in on goal.
The striker was one on one with Vigouroux, but fired tamely at the keeper.
However, that gave a capacity home crowd a lift, and the Lions tails were up as they aggressively hunted down the Swans and broke with purpose.
Vigouroux palmed away one threatening cross, and then gathered as the resulting corner bobbled goalwards off Jake Cooper’s shoulder.
Ben Cabango than stood tall to make a good block from Zak Sturge’s low strike as the home side pressed forward again.
Swansea had a couple of bright moments when Josh Tymon and Ronald were able to deliver good balls into the box but Millwall soon came forward with purpose again.
Sturge and Femi Azeez combined to win a corner, and Vigouroux held Cooper’s header from the set-piece before Casper De Norre sent a rising effort over the bar.
But the hosts took a deserved lead when, after two excellent blocks had kept out ferocious strikes from Azeez, Saville arrived at the back post and fired home, despite Vigouroux getting hands on the ball.
Azeez then hit the post with a header at the back post seconds later, and the Swans were glad to hear the referee’s half-time whistle not long after.
JEom volleyed over after a ball had fallen for him on the edge of the area early in the second half as the visitors made a sharper start.
The Korean then beat his man after bustling work in midfield had allowed Swansea to counter in transition, and his fizzing cross forced Cooper to put the ball over his own bar with white shirts waiting.
Eom was soon involved again, Liam Cullen’s through ball putting him one-on-one with the keeper, but Evans did well to smother his low shot as the Swans made much the better start to the second half.
But the hosts gave them a reminder of their threat when they sprung Mihailo Ivanovic in on the left of the area, where the Serbian dragged his effort wide of the target.
Alan Sheehan turned to his bench, bringing on Joe Allen, Vipotnik and Ollie Cooper, and the Slovenian nearly scored with his first touch.
The striker met Tymon’s cross with a powerful header, but Evans did well to parry at his near post.
Vipotnik then mis-kicked after turning back to control a Ronald cross inside the final 15 minutes as the visitors looked the more likely team to find a goal.
Ronald stung Evans’ palms with a low drive but it ended in frustration for the Swans.
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Josh Key, Ben Cabango (captain), Hannes Delcroix, Josh Tymon; Jay Fulton (Ollie Cooper 67), Goncalo Franco(Joe Allen 67), Lewis O’Brien; Ronald (Florian Bianchini 86), Jisung Eom, Liam Cullen (Žan Vipotnik 67)
Unused Substitutes: Jon McLaughlin, Cyrus Christie, Kyle Naughton, Sam Parker.
Millwall: George Evans, Jake Cooper (captain), Japhet Tanganga, Femi Azeez, Josh Coburn (Aidomo Emakhu 74), George Saville, Casper De Norre (Ryan Wintle 87), Luke Cundle (George Honeyman 58), Mihailo Ivanovic, Tristan Crama, Zak Sturge.
Unused Substitutes: Jakob Przewozny, Aaron Connolly, Daniel Kelly, Macaulay Langstaff, Ryan Leonard, Wes Harding.
Referee: Ben Speedie
Attendance: 17,239 (1,354)