Millwall Vs Birmingham — Azeez inspires Lions as Millwall climb back to third after 3-0 win

The market shifted sharply in the Championship after millwall vs birmingham ended 3-0 at The Den: Millwall leapfrogged back into third and the Blues' run without defeat was halted. Femi Azeez produced a goal and two decisive set-piece contributions — his volley was his eighth of the season — while Birmingham were reduced to 10 men when Jhon Solis received a second yellow.

Table impact and momentum: a quick jump up the pecking order

Millwall's victory moved them back up to third in the table and, in one account, left them four points shy of second-placed Middlesbrough. The win snapped Birmingham's unbeaten sequence in the build-up to the fixture; one description calls that run eight league matches, another describes the visitors as having arrived undefeated in nine. That discrepancy is unclear in the provided context. Either way, Millwall regained momentum after a recent home defeat by Portsmouth.

Millwall Vs Birmingham — the scoreline and decisive contributors

Millwall won 3-0 with goals from Femi Azeez, Tristan Crama and Jake Cooper. Azeez opened the scoring with a stunning volley — noted as his eighth of the season — and then played a direct role in both remaining goals. Crama and Cooper finished the other chances created or influenced by Azeez's set pieces.

Key moments and goal sequence

• Azeez volleyed in the opener after controlling a pass from Tristan Crama and striking into the far corner.
• Azeez curled a 30-yard free kick that James Beadle pushed onto the post; the rebound fell to Tristan Crama, who side-footed in to double the lead before half-time.
• Early in the second half another Azeez free kick caused confusion: the ball struck the back of Jhon Solis as he tried to duck, Crama reached it and cut the ball back for Jake Cooper to finish and make it 3-0.

Discipline, near-misses and turning points

The match featured a few pivotal non-goal incidents. Macaulay Langstaff appeared to be hauled down by Tomoki Iwata as he chased a long throw; referee Dean Whitestone did not award a penalty. Birmingham's Jay Stansfield had a curling shot turned away by Millwall keeper Anthony Patterson, and later Patterson made that early full-length save to prevent a different opener. Four minutes after Millwall's third, Jhon Solis received a second yellow card for a late challenge on Casper De Norre and was sent off, leaving Birmingham with ten men for the remainder.

Supporting details, squad notes and context

Josh Coburn was back in Millwall's side after missing the previous game against Portsmouth through illness and had a headed chance that went over from close range. Camiel Neghli and Macaulay Langstaff both came close to increasing the margin later, with Neghli racing through before lifting a shot onto the crossbar. Azeez also supplied dangerous crosses that both Coburn and Neghli nearly finished earlier in the match. Teddy Sheringham was noted to be watching from the stands; one account referenced that Sheringham had been in the team the last time Millwall were in the top flight, an era described as two years before the Premier League was formed.

Here's the part that matters for supporters: the result restored Millwall's place near the top of the Championship, while Birmingham must regroup after losing momentum and seeing a key midfielder sent off.

Responses and the immediate outlook

A post-match comment said: "I felt after the last game at home that we were looking a bit too far ahead of ourselves... we have one of the hardest run-ins with Ipswich away, Middlesbrough away, Hull away, Preston away, some really tough games coming up. " The speaker is unclear in the provided context, but the remark stressed tempered expectations and the need to stay focused. The same comment praised the team's collective performance and singled out the midfield two and Jake Cooper for strong displays; the sentence about Cooper is incomplete in the available material (unclear in the provided context).

The real question now is how both sides respond in coming fixtures: Millwall have bounced back from a shock home defeat to Portsmouth at the weekend, while Birmingham must recover from the setback that ended their unbeaten spell and cost them Jhon Solis for the remainder of this match.

What's easy to miss is how much of Millwall's damage came from Azeez's set-piece influence — a volley, a direct free-kick rebound and a second free-kick that led to the third goal.

Key takeaways: Millwall won 3-0; goal scorers were Femi Azeez, Tristan Crama and Jake Cooper; Azeez's opener was his eighth of the season; Jhon Solis was sent off for a second yellow; the result pushed Millwall back to third and ended Birmingham's unbeaten run (discrepancy in the run length is unclear in the provided context).