Millwall held off a strong second-half push from Stoke to secure a 1-0 win and their first home points of the season.
Gary Rowett, who had taken stick from his own supporters in defeat at Norwich last weekend, saw his side control the first half at the Den and deservedly go in with a lead courtesy of a strike from summer signing Kevin Nisbet.
Stoke came into the game after a quadruple substitution at half-time as Andre Vidigal went close with a one-on-one and forced a fine save from Matija Sarkic, while Tyrese Campbell hit a post and Wouter Burger had a late drive fizz wide.
But it was Millwall who hung on and Rowett continues his hold over his old side, having won six out of nine encounters since leaving the Potters in 2019.
Millwall had taken hold of a scrappy match midway through the first half and Mark Travers made a series of saves.
The goalkeeper had to be down smartly to keep out a low, whipped free-kick from wide on the left by Zian Flemming. George Saville thought he had scored with the rebound only for Ben Wilmot to flash across to deflect wide with a header.
Stoke fans were still singing Travers’ name when he shifted across to keep out another Flemming free-kick and then acrobatically got his fingertips to stop a close-range header from Jake Cooper.
Millwall found the breakthrough when Stoke failed to deal with a loopy long throw from the right, bouncing kindly for Nesbit to find the bottom right corner.
Stoke manager Alex Neil handed debuts to new signings Mehdri Leris and Burger in a major half-time reshuffle.
The visitors did come to life and, after Campbell had their first shot on target, Wesley pushed a through-ball to Vidigal to clip a shot just past Sarkic and the post. Campbell cracked a shot just over the crossbar from the right corner of the area.
Stoke dialled up the pressure as the heavens opened and Campbell had a shot blocked by Shaun Hutchinson before Leris shot just over in a scramble.
Flemming had half a chance to seal the win, but his shot was blocked by Luke McNally and Sarkic was forced into a flying stoppage-time save to keep the score at 1-0, diving to his left to tip over a dipping 30-yard drive from Vidigal.
Travers joined the Stoke attack for a couple of late corners, seeing Campbell flick a header onto the far post before Burger flashed onto a loose ball in the dying moments and skidded a shot past the left post.
Chelsea players want to fight for Pochettino, says Palmer
Cole Palmer says the Chelsea players want to fight for Mauricio Pochettino, and credits him for Chelsea’s late challenge for a European spot this season.
There has been speculation in recent weeks that Pochettino may not remain Chelsea manager after the end of the season, despite their strong run of form.
Chelsea moved sixth in the Premier League table after holding on to beat Brighton 2-1 on Wednesday with 10 men after Reece James’ late sending-off thanks to goals from Palmer and Christopher Nkunku.
Palmer has proven instrumental for Chelsea in his debut season, scoring 22 goals in the league, but the youngster was quick to move the focus to Pochettino’s work.
"For it to be in our hands to get sixth place is a big thing for us," Palmer told BBC Sport.
"Chelsea are a big club and everyone wants to finish higher than sixth, but you have to look at where we were at the start of the season.
"All credit to the manager. All the players love the manager and want to fight for him."
Chelsea have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League matches, winning each of the last four, meaning they only need to avoid defeat against Bournemouth on Sunday to claim a top-six finish.
Pochettino was full of praise for how his side saw out the win against Brighton, saying: "So happy for the players, they deserve the full credit for the way that we worked, our approach to the game and the way we tried to apply all of the work we were doing on the training ground.
"I am proud. To face a team like Brighton is always difficult here. We are so happy because the three points mean we are closer to achieving what we want."
'If they want me, I will stay' - Fernandes on Man Utd future
Bruno Fernandes says he will stay at Manchester United if the club wants him to be part of their future.
As the transfer window draws closer, the United captain is reportedly attracting interest from several Saudi Pro League clubs and Bayern Munich.
Fernandes, who joined the Red Devils from Sporting CP in January 2020, has two years left on his current contract after signing an extension in 2022.
Speaking to Sky Sports after their 3-2 win over Newcastle United on Wednesday, Fernandes stated his commitment to the club.
"If they want me, I will stay," he said. "I will be here until... I said the club needs to want me.
"I feel that the club wants me to be a part of the future, so, as I said always, I don't want to be a player that the club doesn't want to have."
Fernandes has scored 15 goals in all competitions this season and got his 12th assist when he picked out Rasmus Hojlund for United’s third goal against Newcastle.
Erik ten Hag had already expressed his confidence that the Portugal international would stay at the club, and he reiterated that upon hearing about Fernandes’ post-match comments.
"Absolutely the club wants to keep Bruno. There's no question, I think," Ten Hag said.
"He gives always his best. He's an example, even with injuries he's playing. He loves football, but he wants to win.
"I'm very pleased with his performances across the season because for him, it's not easy when so many players are injured around him and every time, he has to carry the team."
Winning is in Juventus' DNA, says Allegri after Coppa Italia triumph
Massimiliano Allegri said that winning is in Juventus' DNA after the Bianconeri clinched the Coppa Italia title.
Dusan Vlahovic's goal proved enough for Juve to overcome Atalanta in Wednesday's final.
It marks Juve's first trophy since they won the Coppa in the 2020-21 season, when Cristiano Ronaldo was still at the club.
Juve still need one more win from their last two Serie A fixtures to guarantee Champions League qualification, but Allegri believes he has laid solid foundations this season, with his future still up in the air.
"Very happy for the boys, they brought joy to the club, to the fans and to me. Winning is never easy, but it is in our DNA," said Allegri, who became the first coach in history to win the Coppa Italia five times.
"If I am no longer the Juventus coach next year, I will leave a strong team. The club will make its evaluations."
Goalscorer Vlahovic says the target for next season is clear.
"I find it difficult to speak, I can only thank everyone," he told Mediaset.
"We know the difficulties we faced, in the end we achieved the objectives set at the beginning of the year. I'm sorry for the Scudetto, but Inter deservedly won it.
"We are very happy, but next year we must aim to win everything. Juventus' DNA requires this."
Juve have won six of the last eight Coppa Italia finals they have featured in, including their last two, both against Atalanta.
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