Millwall returned to the Championship's automatic promotion spots as well as guaranteeing at least a place in the play-offs with a victory at Stoke City.

Goals from Camiel Neghli and Femi Azeez put the Lions in control at the bet365 Stadium.

Before a Caleb Taylor own goal opened the door for an unlikely comeback for the Potters.

However, Josh Coburn made up for a poor miss with his ninth league goal of the season to seal all three points for the visitors and send Alex Neil's side second in the table, with Ipswich Town playing on Wednesday.

Neghli's curling left-foot effort put the Lions on their way as the Algerian bent the ball into the top corner, leaving Gavin Bazunu no chance in the Stoke net.

But the Potters keeper was at fault for the second, letting Azeez's shot from distance go through his hands and into the goal behind him.

Millwall looked to be well on top in the game until Stoke's reply, which came from nowhere.

Substitute Lamine Cisse, with pretty much his first touch, passed the ball into the Millwall area, which deflected off of Taylor and into his own net via the near post.

Stoke, who had already rattled the post with Tatsuki Seko's first-time shot, improved after the goal.

But having blazed a good chance over the bar in the first half, Coburn restored his side's two-goal lead with a cool finish under pressure from Basunu and Ashley Phillips, after Neghli had picked up a loose pass out from the Potters' defence.

Millwall now have a three-point cushion over Ipswich and Southampton in the race for automatic promotion, though the Tractor Boys have two games in hand.

Millwall's incredible run for promotion continues with another big performance at a crucial time in the season.

Neil and his squad have played themselves into the top with just two games of the season remaining.

Those games are against Leicester City, who were relegated to League One on Tuesday, and Oxford United, who could also be down by the time they visit The Den on Saturday, 2 May.

Win those matches and they will finish the season with 85 points. Ipswich can hit a maximum of 88 and have to face Charlton Athletic, West Bromwich Albion, a mouth-watering tie with Southampton, and Queens Park Rangers.

Tonight's result has secured a place in the play-offs, at the very least, for the first time in the second tier since 2001-02.

Beat Leicester and Oxford and they will give themselves a huge chance of emulating the heroes of 1987-88 and earning automatic promotion to the top tier for the first time in the Premier League era.

Stoke City boss Mark Robins told BBC Radio Stoke:

"Two mistakes. They started off quite brightly as you'd expect – they're going for the top two.

"We were OK and then we contrived to beat ourselves.

"They haven't done anything to hurt us. We must be the only team in the division that gives away goals now.

"Before we were hard to beat, we were hard to score against and it's just changed around.

"But from my perspective we made changes, we got a little bit of a foothold, we got a goal back, we looked like we could go on and grab something."

Millwall boss Alex Neil told BBC Radio London:

"I thought it was a great performance. I thought we set our stall out early in the first half, with a couple of the best chances. I thought we took the lead deservedly so, I thought it was a brilliant goal from Camiel Neghli.

"We should have scored the second, the cutback for Josh [Coburn] with Femi [Azeez] right behind him as well. We had one for Josh across the face, Femi had a couple on his left foot rolling in.

"When they get a goal back to 2-1, the reaction's important at that point. If they go on and get on top, then it's a nervous 20 minutes.

"I thought our reaction was brilliant, in terms of going and getting the next goal.

"And then I thought we saw the game out quite comfortably and there was only one team who deserved to win."