However, a familiar failing of missed chances again cost them vital points as they were punished for not having the game sewn up by half-time.
It means Millwall made up two points in the midweek round of fixtures and, regardless of a potential points deduction, the fight for Championship survival is going down to the wire.
Here's five things talking points from the 1-1 draw in a balmy west London.
There was nothing more predictable
Everyone knew it was going to happen. It was as assured as the sun coming up in the morning and going down at night. When the Millers went in at half-time only one goal to the good everyone could sense they would get punished for their outrageous inability to command a match-winning position from a first half of total domination. Even allowing for the fact that no team scores every chance they create, Steve Evans' men should have been at least 3-0 up at half-time as Matt Derbyshire, Danny Ward and Kirk Broadfoot all missed opportunities to add to Derbyshire's early opener. Their first-half showing warranted that sort of lead, as the Millers came out fighting in the wake of news of a potential points deduction.
But no matter how bad the opposition are playing, and Fulham were shocking, at this level a one-goal lead is often never enough, especially with the defensive frailties the Millers have shown this season. So when Ross McCormack levelled midway through the second half no one will have been surprised and with the Millers no longer creating the fashion of chances they did before the break it ultimately meant another two points dropped.
Fulham were there for the taking
Despite a plethora of international talent and multi-million pound players on their teamsheet, Fulham highlighted that there is something seriously wrong at the club as their display saw them get booed off at half-time and full-time and manager Kit Symons have calls for his head. Their first-half showing in particular was as abject a performance as seen in the Championship this season and makes the fact that the Millers could only go into the break one goal up stick in the throat even more. The likes of Scott Parker and Danny Guthrie were passengers in the game while the first-half performances of Bryan Ruiz and McCormack were as lazy and disinterested as you could get. There had to be an improvement after the restart, if only because it wasn't possible to be that bad again, and there was but it was still a below-par showing which the Craven Cottage faithful took clear protest to.
Luckily for them, despite Evans trying to drag them back into the relegation fight, they probably just have enough to survive, which is a good job as they play Middlesbrough and Norwich in their last two games.
Matt Derbyshire - a predator not a cool finisher
Derbyshire's eighth goal in seven games gave the Millers the lead and it was a typical strike from the top scorer as he prodded home a loose ball in the area. He has been a new man since the turn of the year and it's a fair assumption to say if he could have discovered his current form earlier on in the season then the Millers would be safe by now. His goal at Craven Cottage was a true predator's finish, anticipating where the ball would go, getting in the right area and having the nous to put it away. He has done that many times this season and he comes alive in the box, making all the right runs and at the right time.
But what's he's not so good at is finishing one-on-one opportunities. Even in his hot streak he has failed to put the ball away when through on goal and there was another glaring opportunity in the first half against Fulham. He superbly brought a long ball under control and closed in on goal but hit his shot too close to Marcus Bettinelli. It was a great chance and although a decent save by Bettinelli, he was not made to stretch or work hard for it. If Derbyshire could find a way of being more assured when through on goal he would be a 20-goal striker - but probably not playing for the Millers!
A commanding goalkeeper, Captain Morgan and humble pie
Three key components of Rotherham's impressive performance in west London were goalkeeper Emi Martinez, returning skipper Craig Morgan and Kirk Broadfoot. In Martinez, the Millers have someone who is clearly a step above anyone else who has played in goal for them this season. Although only called upon to make one real save - an imposing stop off Bryan Ruiz in the first half - Martinez put in a classy performance, commanding his area with real authority and often clearing the danger with his reliable kicking. He's been one loan signing who has genuinely improved the side.
In front of him were the impressive duo of Craig Morgan and Kirk Broadfoot. Morgan returned to the side after a two-match ban and put in an imperious display if defensive solidity, winning more than his fair share of headers against the impossibly tall Matt Smith while marshalling the back four with distinction. If only he had not been booked at Birmingham and missed the Brighton game.... As for Broadfoot, few have been more scathing of his performances than here on It's Millers Time and we're ready to eat a small portion of humble pie! It's time to accept that he is never going to win a 100m race, even Atdhe Nuhiu and Gary Taylor-Fletcher would finish before him there, but a run of games at centre-back has seen him prove he is a capable Championship defender. There's times when you watch him and it's fraught with danger, but on the whole his performances in recent weeks, and again at Fulham, deserve praise. He wins his headers, can carry the ball out of defence, is a threat in the opposition penalty area and crucially has allowed Kari Arnason to move into a midfield position.
It's going down to the wire
Had the Millers won on Wednesday they could have afforded to send the three points to the Football League gift wrapped and with a shiny bow and card saying 'You can have them, we don't need them'. A seven-point gap, in all likelihood reduced to four, should have been enough to see them safe, with Millwall's four remaining matches taken into account. Instead, the quirk of the fixture list means that, even without a deduction, Evans' men could be in the bottom three next time they play. That would need the Lions to produce form and results that they have not been able to do very often so far, but at this time of the season anything is possible. Alternatively, the Millers could two points clear (presuming three points are taken) with two games remaining. There's a very good chance that Rotherham could go to Leeds on the final day needing something, but the key fixture is the home game with Reading on April 28. Win that and it might just be enough. But there's plenty of nails to be bitten before that comes around.
