Match breakdown: Sheffield Wednesday 2 Stoke City 2

Barry Bannan's sublime 82nd minute  free kick rescued a point for Sheffield Wednesday as the Owls came from two nil down to draw 2-2 with Stoke City at Hillsborough today.
Sheffield Wednesday v Stoke CitySheffield Wednesday v Stoke City
Sheffield Wednesday v Stoke City

The result stretched Wednesday's unbeaten Championship run to four matches and moved them up to ninth in the standings.

Key moment

Marco Matias's well taken 24th minute goal. It came against the run of play and lifted the mood and atmosphere inside Hillsborough. As Wednesday chief Jos Luhukay pointed out post match, Wednesday showed Stoke "too much respect" in the first quarter of the contest but Matias's strike derailed their momentum.

Key man

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Bannan was sensational. The diminutive Scot was instrumental in the Owls' superb comeback. It was his majestic long pass which put Steven Fletcher through for Wednesday's first goal. And he continued to pass, probe and take the fight to Stoke in the second half. His set pieces were not always the best but his spectacular free kick with eight minutes left rescued an unlikely point for Luhukay's men.

Referee watch

Geoff Eltringham had a good afternoon. The County Durham-based whistler let the game flow and only issued one yellow card.

What did we learn from the draw

That Wednesday are a spirited side but remain a work in progress.

Luhukay is still no nearer to rectifying their defensive deficiencies. The Owls have yet to record a Championship clean sheet and Stoke should have scored four or five but a combination of poor finishing and good goalkeeping from Cameron Dawson left them frustrated.

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Young players such as Jordan Thorniley and Matt Penney will have learned a lot from going toe-to-toe with some of the best attacking players in the Championship. The pair battled hard and played their part in Wednesday's fightback.

The point extends the Owls' unbeaten streak to four matches but there will have to be a big defensive improvement if Luhukay's side are to collect points from back-to-back away matches against Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.

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