Sheffield Wednesday 3 Swansea City 1: Adam Reach, Lucas Joao and a dominant first half display –Five talking points after the Owls’ impressive home win

Sheffield Wednesday stretched their unbeaten run under manager Steve Bruce to five matches after a superb first half performance against Swansea City.
Sheffield Wednesday v Swansea City talking pointsSheffield Wednesday v Swansea City talking points
Sheffield Wednesday v Swansea City talking points

The Star’s Dom Howson picks out five talking points after the Hillsborough clash.

ADAM REACH

The attacking midfielder grabbed a first half double to put Wednesday in command and end his lean spell in front of goal. Reach entered the Championship fixture having gone 11 matches without finding the back of the net. But his finishing against the Swans was top class. Two chances, two goals. Reach is now level with Lucas Joao in the goal-scoring charts on nine.

THE NEW BOYS

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bruce handed full debuts to deadline-day signings Achraf Lazaar and Rolando Aarons. The Newcastle United loanees dovetailed neatly on the left hand side, giving the team more pace and energy. Lazaar was rock solid defensively and looked to join in with the attack at every opportunity. Aarons added a much-needed creative spark and set up both of Reach's goals.

THREE GOALS

It is the first time Wednesday have scored three goals in a match since their 5-1 thrashing of Norwich City on the final-day of last season. All the damage was done in the first half. Swansea tried to play out from the back but could not cope with the Owls' high pressing game and Reach (2) and Steven Fletcher took their goals with aplomb.

LUCAS JOAO

The striker has struggled to make an impact in the last two matches as a starter. He was visibly disappointed when manager Steve Bruce brought him off just before the hour mark. What Bruce will now be hoping for is that he gets a strong reaction from Joao over the coming weeks. He has the ability to be a handful at this level but he has not taken his opportunity since Bruce's arrival. Must do better.

WORK STILL TO DO

Yes, Swansea upped their game in the second half and were much-improved but Wednesday sat back too much. They took their foot off the gas and were indebted to Keiren Westwood for making a string of fine saves. It was a shame the Owls dropped their standards and gave the Swans a glimmer of hope. It is something they can ill-afford to do against better teams.