Sheffield Wednesday, with their troubles mounting off the pitch, witnessed a somewhat inspired performance this afternoon. Nathaniel Chalobah’s barren streak of league match goals ended; his 26th-minute strike nearly sealed a point for the Owls.
Classy Display From Home Supporters
Wednesday supporters stood strong with their protest prior to and during the start of their opening weekend match. Leicester City fans welcomed those dedicated Owls into the stadium upon the fifth minute with a classy standing ovation, showing an important solidarity against Dejphon Chansiri’s toxic ownership of the Yorkshire club.
A mesmerising team spirit exuded from the Owls as they looked to press Leicester during every build-up. With the Foxes dominating possession for the most part in the first 45, Chalobah’s deflected strike took flight from just inside the box and dumbfounded Jakub Stolarczyk in the City goal. The midfielder was unfortunately forced off with a hamstring injury moments later, but gave the Owls an important advantage against the heavy odds.
Barry Bannan, on the back of a fresh contract extension with his beloved club, was dictating the tempo of the game whenever Sheffield Wednesday found themselves in possession. The importance of the 35-year-old was highly evident in the first half but failed to see out the second due to a harsh dismissal. Henrik Pedersen’s side lead 1-0 at the King Power Stadium heading in at half time.
Foxes Fire Back
Jannik Vestergaard, who could have claimed a hat-trick with the amount of good chances the Dane had, scored an equaliser for the heavy favourites in the 54th minute. The centre-back pounced on a Bilal El Khannouss free kick delivery, with controversy surrounding Harry Winks’ involvement in potentially attempting to play the ball before it bobbled to Vestergaard. The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder’s inclusion in the second half helped to change the game in Leicester’s favour.
A very harsh second yellow card was issued to Bannan on his return to Wednesday after a contract extension, getting to the ball first but studding Winks in the thigh during the follow-through. The 35-year-old misses a Stoke City home meeting next weekend, with the Owls’ numbers depleting further. The consequent ten-man side conceded just minutes before the 90th, with a 2-1 result highlighting just how closely-fought the match was until the death.
Writer’s View
Leicester, having not been able to spend this summer, are in a similar position of illegitimate finances to Wednesday, but nowhere near to the same extent as the Owls. Wednesday’s few remaining players put in a great shift against a side full of ex-Premier League players. Marti Cifuentes’ side had the luxury of bringing on an abundance of talent during the second half, including 16-year-old Jeremy Monga and the eventual match-winner, Wout Faes.
The Owls have done themselves proud in a game where they were written off before the opening whistle. Whether this momentum can transgress into consistently good performances, we will have to wait and see. Several injury concerns during the match lead to players going down as well as some worrying looks to Wednesday’s depleted bench. Bannan’s sending off also felt like the incorrect decision, but within the new rules of the game the challenge justified a dismissal.
Pierce Charles was fantastic in between the sticks, anchoring a resilient and determined Wednesday defence with close-ranged saves during the final stages. The 20-year-old shot-stopper is showing tremendous potential and kept the Owls in the game until Faes powered a thumping header into the centre of the goal.
