One Sheffield Wednesday midfielder has been hailed as the ‘best player’ in the win vs Rotherham United today.
Sheffield Wednesday earned another massive three points today, beating South Yorkshire rivals Rotherham United 1-0 at the New York Stadium.
The main talking point of the first half was Akin Famewo’s disallowed goal; the defender headed home an accurate Will Vaulks free kick, but the goal was chalked off.
Joe Crann shared pictures after the game which suggested the goal was onside, but thankfully the Owls found a way through in the second half.
Ike Ugbo scored his sixth goal in eight Championship games for the Owls who remain three points adrift, after wins for Stoke City and QPR.
Will Vaulks hailed after ‘quality’ Rotherham United performance
There were some strong individual performances for Wednesday today.
Ugbo will obviously take plaudits for bagging the decisive goal once again, whilst there should be mentions to the likes of Liam Palmer too.
But Vaulks was the star man today.
The former Miller started in midfield and showed his class before rather harshly being taken off in the second half; his set pieces were all on point, with his overall energy and determination in the middle proving vital.
The Star gave him an 8/10 rating, with Crann adding:
“Vaulks was arguably the best player on the pitch in the opening 45, showing bags of quality on top of his usual determination. Came off just after the hour mark, and could probably count himself unlucky in that sense.”
As per Sofascore, Vaulks made more tackles than any other Wednesday man today (3), 22 out of 26 passes completed (85% completion), and 7 out of 13 duels won.
Vaulks also made 2 key passes, with 3 out of 8 crosses completed.
More of the same needed from Vaulks and Sheffield Wednesday
Vaulks has been hit and miss this season.
Through the festive period, he was shining, but then a minor injury at the start of the year seemed to curtail his form.
Then Momo Diaby returning gave him some added competition in the midfield and Vaulks didn’t quite look the same.
But today he was immense; he showcased everything that he’s good at; tackling, covering ground, passing between the lines, and set-pieces.
It was his set-piece delivery in particular that caught the eye, with Vaulks putting it on a plate for Famewo and several others throughout the game.
Rohl will need more of the same from Vaulks and from all of his players, with teams in and around Sheffield Wednesday continuing to pick up points.
It looks like it’ll go right down to the wire this season, with a home game vs Plymouth Argyle coming up next.