Millwall boss Joe Edwards admitted relief was the overwhelming emotion after his side ended a three-month winless run at home in the Championship with a 2-0 victory over QPR at The Den.
Goals from Tom Bradshaw and Murray Wallace proved enough for all three points against their capital rivals on Boxing Day, halting the Lions’ sequence of seven matches without a win.
The result lifted Millwall six points clear of the drop zone and left Edwards pleased with the way his side ground out a victory against a relegation rival.
“I’ve got a lot of belief in this team but when you’re on a difficult run then you do really have to dig in and keep going,” he said.
“That was what the performance showed today because these games – when they are London derbies and two teams in a difficult position – it creates a bit of tension around them.
“You aren’t always going to get free-flowing, attractive games but we showed enough quality in spells to see signs of where we want to head.
“It’s definitely a relief – relief at the end of the run and relief when you know there is going to be that much added time going on (10 minutes), particularly after the way the last home game went (conceding stoppage-time penalty in draw against Huddersfield on December 16).
“Ultimately it was about our spirit today and we were difficult to play against. QPR played some nice football without ever really hurting us too much. I don’t think Matty Sarkic has made a save really.
“Those basics we want to be about, the fundamentals before we talk about playing any football, they need to be there.
“It was there today and gets us a clean sheet. Two consecutive clean sheets means four points. We need to remember that and keep building on it.”
The result condemned Marti Cifuentes’ QPR to a third loss on the bounce and the Spaniard acknowledged not much went right for his side.
“It’s a poor performance – perhaps the worst since I’ve been here,” he said.
“We didn’t start the game well. Millwall pressed really, really high – very aggressive – and we didn’t find a way to beat that pressure.
“We lacked the capacity to understand the space today was behind their back line. We had to activate the runs from behind.
“We tried to adjust this in the first half. From minute 30 we started to understand this a little bit better but then in a minute we should
never concede a goal, we concede a goal.
“We concede because we try to do it but then the team doesn’t travel in a compact way, so the space for the second ball is too big.
“We had the quality to break lines and travel together at the start of the second half and got some situations inside the box through Lyndon (Dykes) and Illy (Chair).
“Perhaps through the second half we start to drop a little bit and the last 15 minutes before injury time were not great. When we concede a second goal from a set-piece then obviously the game is over.
“When you win games then everything is much easier. When you do not get those wins, you need much more personality to go through.”
[(Shimizu S-Pulse) Weakness]: 1. Shimizu S-Pulse are 13th in the J1 League table. Facing 2nd-placed Kashima Antlers, they will find it hard to win this match due to their declining form, indicating doubtful motivation.2. Shimizu S-Pulse defender Yuji Takahashi and forward Sena Saito will miss this league game due to injuries.3. Shimizu S-Pulse were winless with 2 draws and 3 losses in the last 5 g...
Liverpool table fresh Guehi bidAccording to The Athletic, Liverpool have submitted a fresh bid worth £35 million ($47m) to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. The Reds had earlier seen two bids rejected by the Eagles, but they remain hopeful that this time the offer will be accepted.Fenerbahce eyeing move for EdersonTurkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce are eyeing a move for out-of-favour Manc...
Roma medical for Liverpool fullback TsimikasAS Roma are holding a medical for Kostas Tsimikas today.The Liverpool fullback is leaving Anfield after finding himself third-choice this season behind fellow left-backs Andrew Robertson and Milos Kerkez.La Gazzetta dello Sport says the Greece international is expected in Italy today to finalise his move.Tsimikas will undergo a medical ahead of signing a...
FBL-ENG-PR-CHELSEA-FULHAMMarco Silva has demanded an explanation from the Premier League after lambasting three "shocking" refereeing decisions in Fulham's 2-0 Premier League loss at Chelsea.WHAT HAPPENED?The Whites thought they had taken the lead against their west London rivals Chelsea when 18-year-old Josh King coolly slotted past Robert Sanchez. However, the goal was chalked off by referee Rob...
[(Shonan Bellmare) Strength]: 1. Shonan Bellmare are one of the bottom teams in the table, taking 25 points and being in the relegation zone. They are strongly motivated to grab points.[(Shonan Bellmare) Neutral]: 1. Shonan Bellmare drew the last 4 home games, revealing mediocre home performances.[(Shonan Bellmare) Weakness]: 1. Shonan Bellmare lost 1-0 to Fagiano Okayama on the road in the last g...
Manchester United Training Session And Press Conference - UEFA Europa League Final 2025Chelsea have completed the signing of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United.WHAT HAPPENED?Garnacho has signed a seven-year contract with the Blues after the two Premier League clubs agreed a deal worth a fixed £40 million fee ($54m) with a 10 per cent sell-on clause, Goal understands. The 21-year-old ha...
Marc Guehi Crystal Palace 2025-26Liverpool have launched a fresh bid for Marc Guehi as they hope that Crystal Palace will finally accept their proposal and agree to sell their star defender before the summer transfer window closes on Monday. The Reds have been linked with a move for the England international throughout the summer and the champions are determined to secure his signature.WHAT HAPPEN...
West Ham United v Lille OSC - Pre-Season FriendlyAston Villa are close to signing West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta on an initial loan with an obligation to buy next summer.WHAT HAPPENED?Villa are on the brink of agreeing a £47 million (€54m/$63m) package for Paqueta which includes a loan fee and add-ons, according to Fabrizio Romano. The report also states the 28-year-old has ac...
[(Nagoya Grampus) Strength]: 1. Nagoya Grampus currently have only 28 points and are near the bottom of the league table. To avoid relegation, they need to earn points.[(Nagoya Grampus) Neutral]: 1. Nagoya Grampus' 7 successive games ended with OVER.[(Nagoya Grampus) Weakness]: 1. Nagoya Grampus lost 2-4 to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their last Emperor's Cup game, with poor performance.2. In the lates...
Cody Gakpo Liverpool 2025Premier League champions Liverpool have confirmed that star attacker Cody Gakpo has put pen to paper on a new long-term contract, which has extended his stay at Anfield beyond 2028. The Dutchman who joined the club in January 2023, during the Jurgen Klopp era, has established himself as a regular starter under new boss Arne Slot and has now committed his future to the Reds...
