Sheffield Wednesday: Joe Wildsmith praises the impact of new Owls manager Jos Luhukay after Steel City derby draw

Luhukay, in his first match as Wednesday boss since succeeding Carlos Carvalhal at the helm, switched to a three-man defence and his team delivered a solid, disciplined display in the Steel City derby.

The Owls restricted play-off chasing United to few clear-cut chances as they recorded a sixth Championship clean sheet of the campaign.

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Although captain Glenn Loovens was sent off in the second half, Wednesday deservedly held on for a point.

The draw also saw them leapfrog Queens Park Rangers into 15th position.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Wildsmith hailed the influence of Luhukay.

He said: “The lads were up for it. We were structured. We started with a new formation, we have been working on it all week and I felt that we were very solid for the most of the game and I think that showed even when we went down to 10 men.

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“The structure and the ability to change and work in the new formation straight away is credit to the boys and the gaffer for coming in and changing something up and I think it has worked.”

The 22-year-old, making his sixth successive start with Keiren Westwood still sidelined by injury, felt the Owls were good value for their point.

“We dug in and also had a few chances and I thought we deserved a draw,” added Wildsmith.

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