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Femi Azeez's volley to open the scoring against Birmingham was his eighth goal of the season Femi Azeez scored a stunning volley and created two more goals as Millwall beat 10-man Birmingham City to go third in the Championship. The win ended the Blues' eight-match unbeaten run in the league, and to make matters worse for manager Chris Davies they had midfielder Jhon Solis sent off for a second yellow card. Azeez brilliantly volleyed in the opener and then saw his vicious 30-yard free kick rebound off the post for Tristan Crama to make it two before half-time. Another Azeez free kick led to Jake Cooper scoring a killer third goal as the Lions responded to losing at home to Portsmouth at the weekend. Birmingham headed to The Den in confident form, having won their last three away games in the Championship, but they were harried out of their stride from the start by the hungry Lions. Josh Coburn headed over the bar and then, both he and Camiel Neghli were close to getting a finishing touch to a teasing Azeez cross as Millwall pressed hard for the opening goal. Millwall keeper Anthony Patterson had to make the first save of note however, diving full length to turn Jay Stansfield's shot round the post. That was a rare bright moment for Chris Davies' side though, and Millwall scored twice inside six minutes to underline their superiority, with Azeez central to both goals. He was on hand to chest down Crama's cushioned header and then strike a sweet volley which had enough power to defy the hand which Birmingham goalkeeper James Beadle managed to get to it as it flashed into the far corner. Azeez then struck a 30-yard free kick which was heading for the bottom corner until Beadle flung himself to his left and pushed it onto the post. The keeper's efforts were in vain, as the ball rebounded at speed to Crama, who did well to keep his side-footed shot on target and double the lead. It might have been worse for the below-par visitors, as Macaulay Langstaff appeared to be hauled down by Tomoki Iwata as he tried to reach a long throw in the Birmingham area, with referee Dean Whitestone unmoved as Millwall players screamed for what looked like a penalty. Any hopes of a second half revival for the Blues were extinguished within four minutes of the re-start, with another Azeez free kick causing chaos. His floated ball struck the back of Solis as he tried to duck under it, and that allowed Crama to reach the ball before it drifted out of play. His cut-back was turned in by centre-back partner Cooper. Four minutes later Solis was shown a second yellow card for a late challenge on Casper De Norre, and Birmingham survived late scares as Neghli and Langstaff both went close to increasing the score. Millwall manager Alex Neil said: "I felt after the last game at home that we were looking a bit too far ahead of ourselves, not just internally but externally as well. I understand it from the fans' perspective, because that's what you want, to get excited for your team but we need to keep our feet on the ground and keep focussed. "On our day we are a match for anyone at this level. There is certainly no ceiling on expectations for us, we're capable of anything if we continue to win games but what I will say is that we have one of the hardest run-ins with Ipswich away, Middlesbrough away, Hull away, Preston away, some really tough games coming up. "Femi's goal was brilliant right enough, but we had terrific performances all over the pitch. The midfield two were excellent, [Jake] Cooper was brilliant, Patto [Anthony Patterson] made a brilliant save in the first half, Camiel Neghli was excellent, and that was Josh Coburn's best performance - he was superb and deserved a goal. " Birmingham manager Chris Davies told BBC Radio WM: "I said to the players that we have to hold our hands up and say we didn't deserve anything from that match. We were well below the competitiveness required when you come to a place like this, firstly to keep clean sheets and then to have a go yourself in the game. "This is a timely reminder of how challenging this league is, and what you have to do in every single game, and we weren't good enough. "Their tails were up but it wasn't [a case of] carving us open, a lot of it was setpieces. The first [goal] was off a long throw was a great finish to be fair, an outstanding moment of quality. "The second was a shot off a post and a rebound. These are really sloppy mistakes from our point of view and the third was a wide free kick, so it wasn't a game where we were having massive problems generally, but when it comes to the basics, the bouncing balls and ugly side to the game, we were short and it cost us. " After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 25th February 2026 at 21: 51 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Alex Neil Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Chris Davies Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Alex Neil Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Chris Davies Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Championship All competitions All competitions All competitions Millwall have won three of their last four home league games against Birmingham (L1), as many as in their previous 11 against them (D4 L4). Following their 4-0 win in the reverse fixture, Birmingham are looking to complete the league double over Millwall for the first time since 2013-14. Millwall have won just four of their last 17 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (D4 L9). Birmingham have won just one of their last five midweek (Tues, Weds, Thurs) league games (D2 L2), having won 10 of the 12 prior (D1 L1). Birmingham’s Jay Stansfield has been involved in three goals in his three league games against Millwall (2 goals, 1 assist), though all of these have come in home games. Match ends, Millwall 3, Birmingham City 0. Second Half ends, Millwall 3, Birmingham City 0. Foul by Mihailo Ivanovic (Millwall). Ethan Laird (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Corner, Millwall. Conceded by Demarai Gray. Attempt missed. Camiel Neghli (Millwall) left footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Tom Watson. Fourth official has announced 6 minutes of added time. Demarai Gray (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Dan Mc Namara (Millwall). Ethan Laird (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Camiel Neghli (Millwall). Attempt missed. Casper De Norre (Millwall) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Tom Watson with a cross following a corner. Corner, Millwall. Conceded by Bright Osayi-Samuel. Attempt missed. Macaulay Langstaff (Millwall) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Tristan Crama with a cross. Substitution, Birmingham City. Patrick Roberts replaces Carlos Vicente. Substitution, Birmingham City. Marvin Ducksch replaces Jay Stansfield. Substitution, Millwall. Barry Bannan replaces Billy Mitchell. Carlos Vicente (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Alfie Doughty (Millwall). Ethan Laird (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.