Sheffield Wednesday were as fluent as we’ve seen them in large portions of a game they largely dominated. They passed the ball smartly and looked threatening. They were for a long time utterly relentless. They lost 2-1.
Coventry City were the benefactors of two moments of soft defending - one late spill from James Beadle a gift in injury time - and to their credit threw everything into their defending. Ellis Simms grabbed both goals; two of 19 touches in the Owls penalty area to the opposite 53.
There were penalty shouts - very good ones - and as fans shuffled out of S6 there was a real sense of ‘How on earth did that happen?’
Wednesday in so many ways were really excellent, but it’s about as frustrating a defeat you can get. Here are our ratings from a freezing Hillsborough.
5. Marvin Johnson - 8
The man that made the equaliser. Looks somewhere close to his confident best - as evidenced by a saucy flick down the line midway through the first half. A threat whose delivery deserved more luck. | UGC
6. Stuart Armstrong - 6
Looked a really classy operator in moments and you can see what he's been brought in to provide. Retains the ball really cleverly and makes gains. Seemed to fade a touch as the game went on, which you'd expect. | SWFC / UGC
7. Barry Bannan - 7
Back in the side and repping the armband once more, he showed little sign of injury and threw himself about from the off. One ball over the top first half was lovely - he followed that theme with some intelligent passing. | UGC
8. Shea Charles - 8
Tidily effective throughout. Seemed to let Armstrong take more of the forward running at times. Plays with a wiseness beyond his years. Produced plenty and should have had a late penalty. | Steve Ellis / UGC