Rotherham started much sharper and Rovers' stopper Thimothee Lo-Tutala had to be alert early on to race out and smother Martin Sherif's tentative effort after he'd beaten the offside trap.
That aside, the first 25 minutes was shorn of any real quality - that was until Rovers broke the deadlock in emphatic style. James Maxwell put in a peach of a cross from the left flank and Owen Bailey met it with a perfectly timed header to continue his outstanding scoring run at the start of this season - it's now five goals in all competitions for the captain.
He then fired straight at Cammy Dawson as the hosts looked to add a second before half-time, whilst Glenn Middleton saw a speculative effort come back off the crossbar.
They were cursing the woodwork again just after the break when Tom Nixon's drive came back off the post. It was becoming a more open game and Rotherham's Ar'Jany Martha hit a sweet, dipping volley that Lo-Tutala did excellently to parry away.
The rest of the half was a gritty affair with chances at a premium: Middleton was denied by Dawson's legs and the visitors' best chance of pinching a point came when sub Jordan Hugill blazed wide in added time.
Here's our player ratings:
1. Thimothee Lo-Tutala 8
Smart thinking to get out quickly to smother Sherif's shot from close-range and a brilliant stop to parry away Martha's booming volley. Photo: Howard Roe/AHPIX LTD
2. Tom Nixon 7
Got forward plenty and hit the post second half. Diligent in what he had to do defensively, especially second half when Kaleta's intro tested him. Photo: Howard Roe/AHPIX LTD
3. Matty Pearson 8
Brought back in to the side and added that derby day nous with ample headers won as he kept things nice and organised in the rearguard. Him and O'Riordan racked up a ridiculous number of clearances. Photo: Howard Roe/AHPIX LTD
4. Connor O'Riordan 8
Another solid showing as he shackled Rotherham's forward line most of the game. Looks a Rolls Royce at times and made clearance after clearance. Photo: Howard Roe/AHPIX LTD