Sheffield Wednesday lost 2-0 against promotion-chasers Leeds United in the Championship on Friday night.
Sheffield Wednesday welcomed Yorkshire rivals Leeds United to Hillsborough on Friday night, in what had shaped up to be a very intriguing clash.
The Owls had won their previous five going into the game vs Leeds, needing just a point to bring them out of the relegation zone for the first time under Danny Rohl.
Leeds meanwhile needed a win to leapfrog Ipswich Town in 2nd ahead of the weekend, having won 10 of their previous 11 in the Championship going into Friday’s game in South Yorkshire.
And it was an enticing first half; Sheffield Wednesday had more than their share of possession and could’ve taken the lead through Djeidi Gassama, who was denied at close range by Illan Meslier.
But it was Leeds who went into half-time with the lead, with Patrick Bamford firing home an inviting Junior Firpo cross.
Wilfried Gnonto then doubled Leeds’ lead in the second half and despite the Owls’ best efforts towards the end, they couldn’t find a way back into the game.
Pol Valentin catches the eye once again for Sheffield Wednesday
There were some strong individual performances in the Sheffield Wednesday XI, but Pol Valentin caught the eye once again.
In the first half especially, the Spaniard was up and down the right flank, causing problems for Leeds, but also keeping them relatively at bay.
Journalist Dom Howson caught on, posting on X:
Valentin the biggest beneficiary of the Danny Rohl effect
Barry Bannan said earlier in the week that arguably the biggest change Rohl has made at Sheffield Wednesday is with the players signed last summer.
Nobody had an impact at the start of the season under Xisco Munoz, but under Rohl, names like Gassama and Valentin, and Anthony Musaba to name a few, have really had an impact.
And in the last few weeks where Valentin has been starting regularly, he’s gone from strength to strength.
Since replacing Dominic Iorfa at right-back, Valentin has really progressed; like Howson says, he’s arguably the most improved player under Rohl, with his bursting runs and overall energy on the right side a real outlet for Wednesday.
Valentin also showed decent passing ability tonight, though there’s still work to be done on the defensive side with the first goal tonight coming down Valentin’s side.
Next up for Sheffield Wednesday is a trip to Ipswich Town next weekend.