The FA Cup continued this weekend as Premier League teams joined the competition for the third round. League One Sheffield Wednesday welcomed high flying top-flight side Newcastle United to Hillsborough.
The Magpies fielded a strong side that featured Joelinton, returning Martin Dubravka and record signing Alexander Isak returning to the side from injury.
The game saw the top-flight team retain most of the ball, keeping three-quarters of possession and having most of the shots on goal, however, they were not clinical enough with only seven of their 22 shots on target.
It was a tight first half which either team could have taken but neither side was able to find the back of the net, it was the second half where the game came to life. In the 52nd minute, the Owls struck first as they regained possession, a swift passing move into the opposition box giving Josh Windass a simple tap in past Dubravka.
Josh Windass is tearing Newcastle apart! 👏 pic.twitter.com/MgaVCifHpf
— The Rangers Review (@RangersReview55) January 7, 2023
Windass struck again less than 15 minutes later as Joelinton lost possession to Smith who played a simple ball through to the striker, who curled the ball past the goalkeeper to net his second of the game.
Four minutes later a corner caused problems at the back for Wednesday, Chris Wood’s header was fumbled by Dawson and the ball fell kindly for Bruno Guimaraes to tap home into a welcoming net, giving the Magpies a lifeline.
Despite the narrow lead and their opponents looking to get back into the game, Wednesday continued to attack with some intention as Windass nearly secured his hattrick from a free kick which struck the bar.
Chris Wood had a glorious chance to level the game as Kieran Trippier played the New Zealand striker in, who spurned the opportunity as he blazed his shot well over the bar.
The final moments of the game saw Wednesday stuck in their own half with Newcastle dominating possession and the Owls unable to clear, they were able to hang on though as the corner count kept on rising but they were resilient enough to keep them at bay and get themselves into the hat for the fourth round.
It's a huge result for @swfc! 🦉
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 7, 2023
They've knocked out @NUFC 😱#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/O3ozmS9cSa
Wednesday fans how far do you think the Owls can go?
Will it distract from the promotion chase?
