Millwall ended an eight-game winless run after they beat a managerless Aston Villa 2-1 at The Den that brings them out of the relegation zone.

Here are five things we learned

Millwall back to winning ways –

A dreadful run of form saw the Lions dip into the relegation zone after six defeats and 2 draws in their last eight games, but Millwall got back to winning ways at The Den against Aston Villa.

The performance warranted all three points as Millwall could have easily scored three or four on the day after Williams hit the bar in the second half.

It seems as if Neil Harris has finally uncovered that winning formula which he was trying too hard to find.

Jake Cooper is Millwall’s new talisman –

The 6ft 4 centre back has proved so far, this season that he is an aerial threat in the oppositions half from set pieces, having grabbed assists against Leeds and Swansea already this season.

The former Reading man bagged his third assist of the season against Villa after he out jumped three Villa defenders who were man marking him from a corner, to head it into the path of Ferguson.

Millwall are using Cooper’s stature to their advantage and it is paying off, even if the opposition are trying their best to stop it from happening.

Shane Ferguson was superb -

When Neil Harris named the ex-Newcastle winger in his starting line-up against Nottingham Forest a few eyebrows were raised but the Northern Ireland was arguably Millwall’s best players on Wednesday night.

Ferguson carried his form into the fixture against Villa as he put in a Man of the Match performance. He linked up well with Gregory down the left-hand side and his set piece delivery was second to none.

It was no surprise that the left footed winger was involved both of Millwall’s goals. He found space in the area to slot home for the equalizer and then grabbed an assist after Tom Elliot poked home one of his corners.

Tom Elliot looks brand new –

Another surprising inclusion for the midweek game against Forest was striker Tom Elliot, who like Ferguson also impressed again against Aston Villa.

The tall striker won every aerial duel against the Villa defenders and even impressed with a bit of skill when it turned on the half way line to leave Grealish sliding in the opposite direction.

His performance deserved a goal and when he got his chance he put it away, it will be hard for Harris to drop in the near future.

Despite sacking Steve Bruce, Villa look the same –

After taking the lead early on, Aston Villa showed no incentive to double their lead and looked flat. Sacking a manager usually merits a reaction from the players but Villa played like they did under Bruce, sloppy and heartless.

They have great players in Tammy Abraham, Jack Grealish and Yannick Bolasie but their new manager has a huge job on their hands if this Aston Villa team is going to start meeting their expectations.