Millwall, led by Alex Neil, came from behind to defeat automatic promotion rivals Middlesbrough 2-1 at the Riverside Stadium on Good Friday, moving them into the Championship’s top two.

All eyes in the Championship were on the early kick-off on Good Friday, as second-placed Boro welcomed third-placed Millwall to Teesside in what could be a deciding game for both teams this season.

The hosts seized the lead in the 26th minute thanks to a Dael Fry header after dominating the opening exchanges, but Kim Hellberg’s side suffered a nasty twist of fate in the second half.

Former Middlesbrough striker Josh Cobun returned to haunt his former club, scoring a second-half brace to completely turn the game on its head and propel the Lions into the automatic promotion spots at Boro’s cost.

The 23-year-old joined Millwall for a reputed £5 million last summer, which was deemed an overpayment by the London club. However, the striker and his new club may have gotten the last laugh in the promotion race.

Alex Neil defended Middlesbrough’s decision to sanction Josh Coburn’s exit.

As expected, much of the post-match discussion focused on Coburn, who served as a bitter reminder of their club’s decision to authorize his exit last summer.

However, Millwall manager Alex Neil justified Middlesbrough’s decision to let the attacker leave, saying The Northern Echo that there was no point in keeping a player who would not be playing.

“I think it’s sort of easy to have a dig at your own club, isn’t it, when you’ve sold somebody and then they go and score a goal?” Said the Lions boss.

“But the plain fact is, if Josh would not have played here, what’s the sense of keeping him?

“I cannot answer that question for Middlesbrough. But I can state that I believe his strengths are well-suited to our needs.

“He might not suit Middlesbrough in terms of how they play, but he’s very, very good for us because we play with that target man, we want to put the ball up to him, we want to put crosses in the box, and I think that suits him as well.”

Josh Coburn thrives under Alex Neil at Millwall.

Boro’s loss appears to be Millwall’s gain, as their choice to let Coburn depart the club last summer has come back to punish them in what could be a pivotal encounter in both clubs’ seasons.

The consensus on social media following Coburn’s £5 million purchase was that Millwall had overpaid for the forward, but he’s proven to be worth every penny thus far, despite his injury problems.

The 23-year-old also had a number of injuries during his time on Teesside, which hampered his ability to progress as quickly as he may have.

However, Neil’s method appears to be ideal for Coburn, playing to his strengths and providing him with a setting in which he can demonstrate his full potential, as he did on Friday.