Millwall 2 Wigan 0: Three red cards as Nadjim Abdou scores winner

Millwall sealed a potentially massive 2-0 win over fellow relegation battlers Wigan in a game which saw three red cards.

Goals from Jimmy Abdou and Magaye Gueye settled a bad-tempered clash which looks likely to spell the end of Wigan's stay in the Sky Bet Championship.

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Both sides learned on Monday that Rotherham, the team directly above them just outside the drop zone, could face a three-point penalty for fielding an ineligible player.

And it was the Lions who came out on top to cut the deficit on the Millers, who travel to Fulham on Wednesday night, to four points.

An incident-packed game also saw three brawls and three red cards as tempers frequently boiled over at a raucous Den.

Wigan had their chances, though, especially in the first half.

They would have taken the lead just before the half-hour mark but for an awful miss by Marc Antoine-Fortune, who planted a free header straight into the ground six yards out.

Alex Pearce also fluffed a free header from in front of goal as the pressure began to tell on the visitors.

At the other end Scott Carson pulled off a brilliant save to keep out Aiden O'Brien's curler and Lee Martin headed over the crossbar.

Temperatures were already now beginning to rise with a clash between James McClean and Sid Nelson sparking some pushing and shoving between both sets of players, before Gaetan Bong's late challenge on Lee Gregory prompted another melee.

Latics substitute Martyn Waghorn was first to see red in the 61st minute for kicking out at Dan Harding, although he was not the only player to regret an ill-judged swipe of the leg - Lions midfielder Shaun Williams had gone off injured in the first half after kicking an advertising hoarding in frustration.

Millwall made their numerical advantage pay in the 74th minute when Harding swung over a cross and Abdou launched himself at the ball to power in a header from 12 yards out.

More fighting ensued when play restarted and Wigan captain Pearce was shown the red card along with home midfielder Ed Upson.

And Millwall wrapped up the victory in stoppage time when substitute Gueye ran onto to a long ball over the top and fired past Carson for what could yet prove a crucial three points.