Millwall head coach Alex Neil was full of praise for how striker Mihailo Ivanovic has adapted to the Sky Bet Championship after he struck another late winner for his side against Portsmouth.
Ivanovic is in his first season in English football after signing for the Lions from Vojvodina, in his native Serbia, last summer and the 20-year-old has developed a habit of making the difference when it really matters for Millwall.
His eight league goals this season have earned them 17 points and have given them an outside chance of making the play-offs, as they sit six points behind the top six.
His double in the 2-1 win at The Den ensured a third win of the campaign in all competitions for the south Londoners over Pompey, who are now just four points clear of the relegation zone.
Neil said: “Any 20-year-old that leads the line in the Championship and can get nearly [10 goals], and he’ll get double figures before the end of the season.
“If you do that, that’s an unbelievable season and it won’t be surprising me if people start talking about him.
“I’ve already seen something the other day talking about the top 10 young talents in Europe – he’s one of them.
“He’s 20 years of age, there are very few strikers at that age that will lead the line at this level and also score goals, so he deserves all the plaudits he gets.
“It was a particularly tight game today and I think physicality was the order of the day, hence the reason why I wasn’t making changes earlier because the players I was bringing on were all smaller.
“I didn’t want to take that risk, but I thought when they did come on, they impacted the game really well.”
Millwall led after 57 minutes of undistinguished football when George Honeyman’s corner was glanced in at the near post by Ivanovic.
Portsmouth captain Matt Ritchie almost equalised when his effort struck the outside of the post.
Pompey were level in the 80th minute as Josh Murphy’s shot was brilliantly blocked by Jake Cooper before Andre Dozzell was able to squeeze his follow-up in through a crowd of bodies.
But the Lions struck the decisive blow with three minutes left when Casper De Norre’s superb cross was headed into the bottom corner by Ivanovic.
Portsmouth boss John Mousinho said: “It feels like a bit of deja vu from a few weeks ago, to be honest.
“The performance at Preston was better, we didn’t play particularly well in the first half today – I thought we were a bit too predictable.
“We went long too early on without trying to get the extra pass and we started the second half a bit slowly as well.
“It wasn’t actually until we went a goal down that we started to play.
“We started to play with a bit of confidence, we started to get the ball forward and put Millwall under pressure.
“We should have scored before we got the equaliser and then it was a case of getting back into the game and throwing it away again.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today.Poor Man Utd Napoli step up talks over Darwin Nunez deal Man City's Cherki wants Man Utd revenge This is why Trent can speak Spanish How are there 2 Mbappes? Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t retiring anytime soon. This is what football is all about. Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, originaltrollfootball)...
Ruben Amorim and Manchester United might have an advantage in the race for Frankfurt's standout attacker Hugo Ekitike as he attracts Prem interestMan Utd might have an advantage in the race for Hugo EkitikeManchester United might have an advantage in the race for Frankfurt standout Hugo Ekitike.The 22-year-old has been linked with a move to the Premier League this summer, with United, Chelsea and ...
KYLE WALKER has agreed to join Everton on a one-year deal. The England right-back has been locked in talks with Toffees chiefs since his return from his loan spell at AC Milan. Kyle Walker is bringing the curtain down on his glorious Man City careerEverton and current club Manchester City will now thrash out whether it is a permanent deal or just a 12-month loan while he sees out the remainder of ...
Chelsea have enquired about Lyon sensation Malick Fofana as they continue to look for Jadon Sancho's replacement.Chelsea eye move for Lyon's FofanaBlues looking for Sancho's replacementChelsea face LAFC in Club World Cup on MondayWHAT HAPPENED?Per The Athletic, the Blues have made a verbal enquiry about 20-year-old Lyon winger Fofana as they look to bolster their squad in the summer transfer windo...
Everton keen to rival Fenerbahce for WalkerPer journalist Mike McGrath, Everton have shown interest in signing Kyle Walker after the Manchester City star failed to secure an AC Milan move.Last week, reports emerged in the Turkish media that Fenerbahce are keen on signing the veteran full-back as Jose Mourinho is aiming to bolster his squad ahead of the new season. Fenerbahce have even formally sub...
Arsenal, Man Utd ask Real Madrid to name Brahim priceArsenal and Manchester United have sounded out Real Madrid over a price for Brahim Diaz.The former Manchester City midfielder has attracted enquiries from both Premier League giants, says Okdiario.For his part, Brahim is settled in Madrid, though there is concern inside his camp over the imminent arrival of Franco Mastantuono from River Plate.Th...
DONE DEAL: Celta Vigo sign permanently Ilaix from RB LeipzigCelta Vigo have signed permanently Iliax Moriba from RB Leipzig.The midfielder had spent last season on-loan with Celta, which have now decided to sign him permanently from RBL for a fee of €6m.Celta announced today: "RC Celta has exercised the purchase option agreed upon last summer with RB Leipzig and has completed its second sign...
Japhet Tanganga's Millwall contract includes a modest £1.2m release clause (Image: Getty)Crystal Palace are interested in signing Japhet Tanganga from south London rivals Millwall. But the Eagles' pursuit of the defender will depend on the sale of Marc Guehi, who is once again attracting interest from some of the Premier League's top sides.Tanganga has spent the past 18 months at The Den, ini...
Andre Onana is set to remain Man Utd's starting goalkeeper (Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)Andre Onana is poised to remain as Manchester United's first-choice goalkeeper next season. Despite the Reds' boss Ruben Amorim desiring a new No. 1, seeking a replacement for Onana isn't high on the agenda as United focus on revamping a squad that ended up in 15th place last season.United had an...
Jack Grealish has been left out of Man City's Club World Cup squad (Image: Getty)Liverpool could play an important role in saving Jack Grealish from his Manchester City nightmare this summer. The former Aston Villa talisman has been left out of Pep Guardiola's Club World Cup squad and put up for sale, with City hoping to recoup some of the £100million they paid four years ago, or at least eas...
- 1 Jack Grealish set to leave Man City this summer
- 2 PSG vs Atletico Madrid Prediction 16 June 2025
- 3 Laura Woods gives update on post-pregnancy body
- 4 Chloe Kelly enjoys sun-kissed holiday as Arsenal star rests before Euro 2025
- 5 DONE DEAL: Marseille confirm CJ Egan-Riley signing from Burnley
- 6 'If you want to understand, it's really obvious' – USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino responds to Christian Pulisic, eager to move past off-field drama
- 7 Tottenham make 'mega £70m bid for Bryan Mbeumo' as Man Utd fear hijack
- 8 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 9 Daily Laugh - Liverpool are spending big
- 10 Portugal and France play out draw to start U21 Euro campaign