Barnsley held off a fierce Rotherham United fightback to claim the South Yorkshire derby spoils and a fifth win in six matches.

Alex Mowatt's defence-splitting pass found Cauley Woodrow, who did not have to break stride to thread a clinical finish into the bottom corner.

Callum Styles then gave Mowatt time to place a 20-yard shot beyond Millers goalkeeper Viktor Johansson into the right corner.

Michael Smith climbed highest in a crowded six-yard box to meet Dan Barlaser's corner with a back-header and halve the deficit, but Freddie Ladapo missed a glorious chance to equalise.

Covid-19 cases had forced Rotherham to call off matches with Derby and Middlesbrough, with boss Paul Warne claiming only fears of a points deduction had prevented them from postponing a third straight league match.

Warne made four changes from the side which started their last fixture at Blackburn on 16 December, but the hosts began brightly as Kyle Vassell's half-volley forced a smart stop from keeper Jack Walton.

However, Barnsley were ruthless in attack as moments of precision and class from Mowatt and Woodrow twice opened up the hosts, with Woodrow's crossfield pass to Styles instrumental in the second goal.

With Mowatt pulling the strings from midfield, the Tykes played with the confidence of a side which has won six of their eight matches in December - all by 2-1 - setting a club record 18-point haul for the month.

The Millers improved after the break and, after former Barnsley loanee Smith scored for the third match running, Ladapo fired wide when one-one-one, while George Hirst narrowly failed to convert Ben Wiles' teasing low cross.

But Barnsley's defence gradually nullified the home threat as a third Yorkshire derby win of the month lifted Valerien Ismael's side up to eighth, two points outside the play-off spots, while Rotherham slipped to second-bottom after a ninth defeat from 12 matches.

Rotherham boss Paul Warne told BBC Radio Sheffield:

"There's no way I'm going to knock them, I said to them at half-time 'your efforts are unbelievable'.

"We had players on the pitch tonight who hadn't even trained a day, and the majority of them have only trained twice in 11 day so we were going to be rusty and not as sharp as I would have liked or the lads would have liked.

"We put Smudge (Michael Smith) on for a bit more physical presence, and I thought we started the second half really well and apart from a chance they should have scored from, we possibly did enough to get a point."

Barnsley head coach Valerian Ismael told BBC Radio Sheffield:

"We had a very good first half, we were focussed on the performance, we knew it would be a fight, but we did exactly what we wanted and we were clinical.

"The second half was completely another game and that's why I have to congratulate Rotherham - to fight, to come back into the game like this, after the problem with Covid situation and to fight until the end.

"It was a good finish for December, with six wins in eight games for Barnsley, it's an unbelievable performance."