Portsmouth moved six points clear of the Championship relegation zone as Gustavo Caballero’s strike 30 seconds into the second half teed up victory over promotion-chasing Millwall at The Den.

An uneventful first half burst into life when Caballero’s powerful strike, after his initial shot was saved, nestled in the back of the net.

The lead was doubled within 10 minutes, with Millenic Alli doing superbly to beat his man down the left flank and find John Swift, who thumped the ball home from the edge of the box.

Millwall, who were chasing a fourth win in five games and had lost just one of their previous 10 matches, pulled a goal back when Casper de Norre found the corner of the net with a delightful curling strike.

But Marlon Pack’s instinctive finish made it 3-1 and the visitors held on for a precious win – their second in London in five days, following victory over Charlton on Tuesday.

Although the defeat is a blow to the Lions’ automatic promotion hopes, they are only six points behind second-placed Middlesbrough, who could only draw with Oxford, while Ipswich lost to Wrexham.