Millwall 2 West Brom 0 - Report and pictures

The Baggies entered the Lion's Den with three victories from three under the caretaker boss, but they got chewed up and spat back out by Neil Harris's side thanks to an abject performance.

Sam Johnstone's mistake gave Millwall the lead in the first half before Jay Rodriguez missed a penalty for the first time this season on the hour mark.

Five minutes later and an Ahmed Hegazi own goal ensured it would be eight visits to Millwall without a win for the Baggies.

The big Egyptian was then sent off with 10 minutes to go for his second bookable offence. Before he left the pitch, he booted the ball into the home fans.

The result was nothing less than the hosts, nor Albion, deserved. Millwall, inspired by the brilliant Ben Thompson, were the better team for the largest spells.

They gobbled up long balls to Dwight Gayle, and pressed Albion high in their own half.

The Baggies were not good enough to play their way out of danger, and when they did get there, lacked ideas on the final third.

Millwall were unchanged from the side that scared Leeds last weekend, but Shan made three changes.

There was a deserved start for Hal Robson-Kanu following his impact against Birmingham City, while Tosin Adarabioyo replaced the ill Craig Dawson at the back and Stefan Johansen came in for the injured James Morrison in midfield.

The hosts started with more intensity than Albion, and Jed Wallace had the first shot of the match, blazing over the bar after drifting past Johansen too easily.

The Norwegian then did well to rob Ryan Leonard of possession on the halfway line, but he wasted a chance to send Dwight Gayle clear with an underhit pass.

The Baggies were fortunate not to fall behind 10 minutes in when Lee Gregory spooned a shot over the bar from 10 yards out after latching onto a Thompson cross.

Albion grew into the game after that, and started to match Millwall's hunger, pressing them into mistakes in their own half.

Despite slinging plenty of crosses into the box, they couldn't quite string the final pass together.

Midway through the half though, Johansen picked the right pass after breaking clear down the left, squaring it to Robson-Kanu, but his first-time shot was blocked.

But half an hour in the Baggies fell behind to a goal they should never have conceded.

Hegazi, who had actually been playing well up until then but went on to have a nightmare afternoon, missed an easy header, allowing Gregory to bring down a long ball.

He laid it off to Ryan Tunnicliffe, whose long-range shot should have been easily saved by Sam Johnstone, but somehow squirmed past the Albion No.1

The Lions roared into life after taking the lead, and nearly made it two moments later when Johnstone palmed away a header from a corner before Jake Livermore cleared a follow-up shot off the line.

Johnstone made another save soon after, flinging himself at full stretch to stop Wallace from curling one into the far corner.

The Baggies were clinging on desperately for 10 minutes, and were fortunate not to go further behind.

It took until the 45th minute for them to test David Martin in the Millwall goal, Johansen fizzing a shot from the edge of the box that needed tipping over.

But it was more of the same after half-time, and it was Neil Harris's men who started brightest again.

After Conor Townsend gave the ball away in his own half, Millwall worked the ball to Wallace, whose shot was destined for the bottom corner before Adarabioyo blocked it.

Albion were struggling to get out of their half. Long balls were being gobbled up, and when they did try and play themselves out, they lost possession.

Ten minutes into the half Gayle sent Robson-Kanu through on goal, but his shot was well blocked.

The Baggies had a glorious chance to draw level on the hour mark when Gayle got the wrong side of Jake Cooper and was brought down in the box by a clumsy tackle.

Referee James Linington pointed to the spot, and Rodriguez stepped up with a 100 per cent record from seven penalties this season.

But this time, he missed, flashing his shot wide of the left hand post.

That proved to be an incredibly costly miss, because five minutes later, Millwall were two up.

Nobody in green and yellow reacted when a high ball dropped into the final third, but Thompson did, and drove towards the goal from the byline.

He pulled a pass back that hit Hegazi's legs and went through Johnstone's and into the net.

Albion appealed for the ball going out of play, but the goal stood.

Shan reacted by sending Jacob Murphy on for the disappointing Robson-Kanu, but a comeback was never on the cards, and the hosts looked far more likely to add a third.

With ten minutes to go, a bad afternoon got even worse when Hegazi was sent off, shown a second yellow card for bringing down Gregory.

His last contribution was to boot the ball as hard as he could into the home fans.

Tyrone Mears was sent on to allow Mason Holgate to move inside and cover at centre-back.

But it did little to help, as Millwall ended the game playing keep ball.

Albion's slim automatic promotion hopes are gone now, but the bigger question over their managerial future grows ever more pertinent.

Will this force the board to act?

KEY MOMENTS

30 GOAL MILLWALL - Tunnicliffe's long-range effort squirms past Johnstone, who should do better.

32 Nearly 2-0 when Johnstone palms away a header before Livermore clears off the line.

45 Johansen forced Martin into a save, fizzing a shot from the edge of the box.

60 PENALTY MISSED - Rodriguez shoots wide from 12 yards after Cooper brings Gayle down in the box.

65 GOAL MILLWALL - Thompson pulls a cross back from the byline that hits Hegazi and goes in.

73 Double save from Johnstone keeps it at 2-0.

80 RED CARD - Hegazi shown a second yellow for bringing down Gregory before booting the ball into the home end.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Ben Thompson - Brilliant for Millwall

POSITION IN THE TABLE

4th, with 70 points from 40 games.

TEAMS

Millwall (4-4-1-1): Martin; Romeo, Cooper, Pearce (c), Meredith; J Wallace (O'Brien 85), Leonard, Tunnicliffe, Marshall; Thompson; Gregory.

Unused subs: Archer, McLaughlin, Williams, Elliott, Morison, Skalak.

Albion (4-5-1): Johnstone; Holgate, Adarabioyo, Hegazi, Townsend; Robson-Kanu (Murphy 72), Livermore, Brunt (c), Johansen, Rodriguez (Mears 85); Gayle.

Unused subs: Bond, Gibbs, Leko, Edwards, Harper.

Referee: James Linington