Sheffield Wednesday hosted Norwich City in the Championship on Tuesday evening looking to make amends for the awful defeat against Watford at the weekend.
Danny Rohl made a number of changes to his side for the clash with Norwich, both in terms of structure and personnel, with Max Lowe coming in to form a back three, Svante Ingelsson joining the midfield, and Ike Ugbo leading the line in place of Michael Smith.
Norwich dominated possession at Hillsborough, and enjoyed large spells in the attacking third with neat build-up play. But, it was a spirited display from Wednesday, with good pressing from the front, and effective reading of the danger in defence.
The Owls took the lead through Josh Windass after just 12 minutes, with a wonderful ball by Marvin Johnson between the lines finding the forward, who calmly slotted home past George Long in the Norwich goal.
Wednesday doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark, with Dominic Iorfa heading home from a deep free-kick, though Long would have been expected to do better.
It was a rather cagey second half at Hillsborough, with Norwich pushing to get back into the game, but the home side held firm, defended well, and frustrated the Canaries.
Rohl’s men secured a vital three points with the 2-0 win, and more importantly, they now have momentum and confidence going into the Steel City derby at the weekend.
Sheffield Wednesday player ratings vs Norwich
James Beadle – 6
Made a couple of decent saves in the first half and showed good command of his area throughout. Was hardly troubled in the second half. His distribution was a little sloppy at times, with the ball heading out of play too often.
Di’Shon Bernard – 7
Made a couple of important blocks and showed strength in tight areas to deal with Borja Sainz competently.
Dominic Iorfa – 7
Similar to Bernard, a very strong showing at the back, with Iorfa reading the game well to keep Norwich at bay. Bagged a well-taken goal with a firm header. Taken off after 56 minutes, seemingly as a precautionary measure.
Max Lowe – 7
Quieter than his defensive partners, but solid enough. Offered a little more going forward carrying the ball.
Yan Valery – 6
Outmuscled a couple of times, not quite offering enough going forward, but has worked hard in defensive areas
Shea Charles – 7
Did a good job doing the dirty work in deep areas, helping turnover possession, and offered steady protection for the defence.
Barry Bannan – 7
Really dictated play in the middle of the park, composed in possession, and showed his playmaking abilities with more freedom in the three-man midfield.
Marvin Johnson – 8
Played a sublime ball through to Windass for the first goal but that was just one of many brilliant passes Johnson made throughout the night. Wednesday’s main creative threat in the first half. Left the field early in the second half.
Svante Ingelsson – 9
Absolutely crucial to Sheffield Wednesday’s success, with a high energy, hard-working performance. Contributed with important tackles and relentless pressing whenever Norwich had the ball, and offered an outlet going forward, too.
Josh Windass – 8
Took his goal really well, showing great composure and a tidy finish. Covered a lot of ground in the attacking third, getting out wide whenever possible to offer more options. Just needed to whip the ball in quicker at times, though.
Ike Ugbo – 5
Missed an absolute sitter early on with a bizarre header from one yard out. Solid pressing from the front, half-decent hold-up play, but sloppy on the ball at times and lacked finesse in goalscoring opportunities.
Substitutes
Gabriel Otegbayo – 6
On for Iorfa early in the second half. Slotted into the back three fairly well, though Norwich did find their way through a couple of times down his side.
Calum Paterson – 7
On for Marvin Johnson with 25 minutes to go. Typified the spirit of Wednesday on the night, fighting for every ball, pushing forward with energy, and offering strength when they needed it to keep Norwich out.
Djeidi Gassama – 6
Replaced Josh Windass with 25 minutes to go. Unlucky not to get a goal after some really impressive skill on the edge of the box. A quiet cameo otherwise.
Michael Smith – 6
On for Ugbo after 75 minutes. Little time or opportunity to make an impact, with Wednesday operating more defensively in the closing moments. Glimpses of effective target man play, though.
Pol Valentin – 6
Replaced Ingelsson after 75 minutes. Offered good energy down the right, made a couple of exciting runs with the ball.