Sheffield Wednesday head coach Danny Rohl insisted that “the better team lost” after a dramatic late collapse saw his side beaten 2-1 by Luton Town at Kenilworth Road.
Carlton Morris scored twice in the final 13 minutes against the ten-man Owls, overturning Barry Bannan’s opener and condemning Rohl’s side to yet another defeat. They’re now just one place outside the bottom three, with four points from their opening six fixtures.
Wednesday looked the better side for much of the match, particularly in the first half. Their positive start was rewarded when captain Bannan smashed home a superb volley just after half-time, and Rohl’s men appeared set for a much-needed win. They had several opportunities to extend their lead in the opening 45 minutes, with Bannan at the heart of their attacking play, setting up chances for Michael Smith and Josh Windass, both of whom were denied by Luton’s goalkeeper, Thomas Kaminski.
However, the game turned dramatically after Luton introduced Morris and two other substitutes around the hour mark. Wednesday defender Di’Shon Bernard was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area, resulting in a red card and a penalty that Morris calmly slotted home to level the score. Despite being down to 10 men, Wednesday still pressed for a winner, but Kaminski continued to frustrate their efforts, saving a low drive from Windass.
As the clock ticked down, Morris popped up again to score the winner two minutes from time, sealing all three points for Luton. The result left Wednesday dejected after what had initially been a promising performance. Rohl, understandably frustrated, emphasised that his side were the better team, citing key refereeing decisions that went against them, particularly Bernard’s sending off and the lack of action on their own penalty appeals.
“We were the better team, the better team today lost,” he told Radio Sheffield afterwards. “That’s maybe a little bit the situation at the moment… The direction, the improvement, we are investing, it’s all there and we are taking steps forward and it’s what I want to see. We’re not having the small moments on our side to take the wins.
“But at the moment we are lacking that final part to take the wins. But we have to keep working in this way and we will get the points… Until the red card we were the better team, we controlled the game, we had a good pressing, we had the structure and were always dangerous.”
“If we work this way we will get the points. Last week we had a 50-50 decision against us and we had a 50-50 decision against us today [for the penalty].
“When I looked to our box and we had a corner and two times Di’Shon (Bernard) goes down and there’s nothing, it’s a little bit hard to take. The players on the pitch should decide the game and not somebody else.”
Writer’s View
Sheffield Wednesday will be disappointed not to come away with anything from Kenilworth Road after putting in a solid performance for most of the match. Danny Rohl’s side showed glimpses of what they are capable of, with Bannan at the heart of everything positive. However, they were undone by a contentious penalty and struggled to hold off Luton after Bernard’s red card. The Owls played with determination and intensity, but lapses in concentration cost them in the final stages.
This match will be a tough pill to swallow for Rohl, as Wednesday showed they are moving in the right direction despite the result. The defensive structure was solid for most of the game, and their attacking play created several good chances. The main takeaway will be that performances like this will eventually yield points, but they must eliminate the defensive errors and maintain composure under pressure to turn these narrow defeats into wins.
Editor In Chief
