Millwall’s 1-0 victory away at promotion-chasing rivals Bristol City was marred by a huge touchline brawl following the full-time whistle.
The Lions boosted their promotion hopes at Ashton Gate to remain third in the table – but the match descended into chaos at the end of the match.
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Millwall edged out Bristol City to remain third in the Championship tableCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
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Millwall boss Alex Neil was involved in a post-match scuffle at Ashton GateCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
Managers, players and coaching staff came together in the heated melee that involved multiple flashpoints.
Punches appeared to be thrown in the commotion which saw representatives from both clubs try to break up the multiple exchanges occurring on the pitch and sidelines.
It remains unclear what caused tensions to rise, however the incident occurred shortly after Bristol City saw an added-time goal ruled out for offside.
Bristol City captain Jason Knight appeared to push Millwall manager Alex Neil on the sidelines.
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The skirmish was the catalyst for what was to come with tensions boiling over in the aftermath of the match.
Total chaos
Asked for his take on the events after the whistle, Neil said in his post-match interview: “What happened was I walked over to shake the coach’s hand, he sort of pulled his hand away from me and didn’t shake my hand.
“I then blend that with my hand as if, ‘Right, OK then.’
“I think Jason Knight’s thought that I’ve refused to shake his hand, which is not the case.
“He did that and then Jason Knight pushes me and then all of a sudden everybody just starts swarming from everywhere.
“So we certainly didn’t instigate it, it was not our part. I went over to shake his hand, he refused.
“Jason Knight then pushes me and then the rest of it sort of commences, if you like.
“But as far as I’m concerned, we’d certainly, up until that point, done nothing wrong.”
The incident is likely to be subject of an EFL investigation in the coming days.
Struber appeared frustrated at the final whistle whilst deep in conversation with match officials.
It is believed that the Austrian head coach felt aggrieved by number of decisions that went against his side and the last minute goals that was ruled out.
The fracas undoubtedly leaves a blemish on what was a superb afternoon for Neil’s men as they closed the gap on second-placed Middlesbrough to two points.
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Gerhard Struber was frustrated with the decisions that went against his side against MillwallCredit: Getty
Mihailo Ivanovic’s 59th-minute strike proved to be the winner against the fellow promotion-chasing Robins.
The win was Millwall’s third in succession, cementing themselves as credible promotion challengers.
The Lions had goalkeeper Max Crocombe to thank for preserving their lead as he produced a fantastic save deep into injury time to keep Bristol City at bay.
Moments later the hosts saw their goal chalked off before the two benches became embroiled in the brawl.
The defeat for Bristol City serves as a blow for their promotion hopes.
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Struber’s men drop out of the play-off spots ahead of a challenging festive period.
City face runaway leaders Coventry, promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough and Leicester City in their next three matches.