Sheffield Wednesday match report: Leeds United 1 Owls 2

Atdhe Nuhiu's second half double helped Sheffield Wednesday secure a priceless 2-1 victory over Leeds United in wintry conditions at Elland Road.
Leeds United v Sheffield WednesdayLeeds United v Sheffield Wednesday
Leeds United v Sheffield Wednesday

The striker took his tally to seven goals for the campaign as the Owls claimed their first Championship win in six outings.

It appeared Wednesday would have to settle for a draw after Leeds substitute Jay-Rot Grot cancelled out Nuhiu's 71st minute opener.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But the Kosovo international had the final word in added on time, curling a low shot past Bailey Peacock-Farrell after shrugging off the attentions of Matthew Pennington.

Boss Jos Luhukay made one change to his starting line-up. Sam Hutchinson made his long-awaited return following a lengthy spell on the sidelines. He replaced the injured Sean Clare in midfield. It was Hutchinson's first outing since December 30.

For our Owls news and opinion on twitter follow hereAfter a cagey opening, the visitors created the first chance. Atdhe Nuhiu and Lucas Joao combined well to pick out Adam Reach, whose low effort was well saved by Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

Nuhiu was cautioned in the 13th minute after a crude, clumsy tackle near the Leeds technical area on defender Matthew Pennington.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Moments later, Adam Forshaw tried his luck from just outside the penalty area after a quickly taken corner by the hosts only to see his right foot curler deflected behind.

Hutchinson added some much-needed bite and aggression to the Owls' midfield engine room. He dispossessed Eunan O'Kane deep inside Leeds' half and squared the ball to Reach, whose rasping left foot drive was expertly turned away by Peacock-Farrell.

The Whites then opened up Wednesday's backline with a clever free-kick routine. Pablo Hernandez played the ball into the path of Forshaw and he slipped in Caleb Ekuban but the striker was brilliantly denied by Wildsmith from close range.

Neither team looked entirely convincing defensively and it took an excellent last-ditch tackle by Frederico Venancio to stop Ezgjan Alioski from bursting through into the box after good play by Hernandez and Ekuban.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ekuban was a real liverwire for Leeds but his composure deserted him in the final third on the half hour mark as he blazed horribly over on the half volley.

Reach continued to impress in his advanced midfield role. His neat pass was collected by Nuhiu in the 42nd minute and the big striker twisted and turned before firing tamely at Peacock-Farrell.

Hutchinson thought he had headed Wednesday in front on the stroke of half-time after a cushioned knock down by Lees from a free-kick but he was adjudged to have strayed into an offside position.

For more news from Hillsborough click hereThe snow briefly started to fall at the start of the second half and Alioski had the first sight at goal, drilling over a shot from the edge of the area.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Pudil made a crucial clearance to spare Lees' blushes after a short back pass by the former Leeds man.

Wednesday threatened on the counter attack in the 54th minute when Joao teed up Hutchinson but he lashed over from 18 yards.

Both sides kept pressing for the opener, with Hernandez shooting into the side-netting before Nuhiu's dipping effort flew agonisingly over.

Leeds dictated proceedings for long spells in the second period and captain Gaetano Berardi went close to breaking the deadlock, firing inches off target.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It was no surprise when Luhukay opted to freshen things up, bringing on Barry Bannan into the middle of the park at the expense of Hutchinson.

And the Owls got their noses in front through Nuhiu, who tapped home from inside the six yard box after Reach's header from Jack Hunt's cross clipped the post.

Leeds piled on the pressure, pinning Wednesday deep back into their own half as Forshaw flashed an effort over after a good driving run.

With three minutes remaining, the hosts pressure paid off when Grot rose highest to nod in Hernandez's cross after Wednesday failed to properly clear a corner.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It was, however, the away end who were celebrating at the final whistle as Nuhiu's second of the afternoon ensured Luhukay's men completed the league double over their West Yorkshire counterparts.

Leeds: Peacock-Farrell; Berardi, Pennington, Jansson, Pearce (Grot 78); O'Kane (Phillips 79), Forshaw; Alioski, Hernandez, Dallas; Ekuban (Lasoggaa 70). Substitutes: Wiedwald, Anita, Vieira, Sacko.

Owls: Wildsmith; Venancio, Lees, Pudil; Hunt, Hutchinson (Bannan 66), Pelupessy (Fox 90), Reach, Boyd; Nuhiu, Joao. Substitutes: Dawson, Palmer, Jones, Fox, Butterfield, Rhodes.

Attendance: 31,638

Referee: Keith Stroud