Poul Hubertz scored the winner as Millwall handed Carlisle their first home defeat this season.
Danish striker Hubertz drove in the decisive goal after Jermaine Beckford had cancelled out Alan Dunne’s strike.
But the Lions needed a stroke of luck to clinch their second successive win as Carlisle’s Chris Lumsdon missed a penalty after Hubertz was penalised for handball.
The result extends Millwall’s unbeaten run under caretaker boss Willie Donachie to three matches and gives the Scot a decent chance of landing the job on a permanent basis.
With last week’s superb comeback win at Rotherham still fresh in their minds, Millwall took the game to Carlisle from the start.
Dunne, Hubertz and Danny Haynes all squandered chances to open the scoring during the early stages, but Millwall’s pressure finally paid off in the 27th minute.
Hubertz sent in a low cross and, after Haynes had failed to make contact, the ball fell kindly for Dunne to slam home his third goal in three matches.
But just six minutes later Carlisle were back on level terms when Beckford, making his debut after joining on loan from Leeds, scored his first goal as a professional.
The former Wealdstone striker had been unable to get on the scoresheet at Elland Road but he ended that goal drought with a smart finish from Simon Hackney’s cross.
If nothing else Donachie seems to have instilled a bit more belief into his side than Nigel Spackman could manage and the equaliser only spurred Millwall on again.
Hubertz pounced after Carlisle had made a hash of a clearance and the big forward lashed his strike past Keiren Westwood to put the visitors back in front.
The drama wasn’t finish there though as Hubertz went from hero to villian in the space of a few minutes.
Straight from the re-start referee Graham Laws decided Hubertz had deliberately handled.
Lumsdon struck the spot-kick low but it cannoned off a post and Millwall scrambled the ball to safety.
Chris Zebroski came off the bench in the second half and tested Westwood with a fine strike, but Carlisle enjoyed the majority of the possession after that.
With five minutes of injury time nearly up, Kevin Gall forced a stunning stop from Lions goalkeeper Lenny Pidgeley as Millwall held on for an impressive win.
Teams:
Westwood; Arnison, Livesey, Gray, Aranalde, Billy (Holmes 46), Thirlwell, Lumsdon, Gall, Beckford, Hackney
Pidgeley; Ross, Craig, Elliot, Dunne, Hackett, Senda (Phillips 65), Shaw, Mawene (McInnes 74), Hubertz (Zebroski 80), Haynes
Carlisle Report
