Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Leicester City

Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Leicester City
Jeff Hendrick’s equaliser was only Sheffield Wednesday’s fifth home goal from nine Championship games this season

Substitute Jeff Hendrick scored a dramatic injury-time equaliser to earn Championship bottom side Sheffield Wednesday a hard-fought draw with leaders Leicester City.

A composed close-range volley from teenager Abdul Fatawu in the first half appeared to have put the Foxes on course for victory on a freezing night at Hillsborough.

But moments after Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen denied Ashley Fletcher late on, Hendrick slammed a 93rd-minute leveller past the Dane to euphoric scenes in South Yorkshire.

Still, it took a save from Cameron Dawson in the final seconds of the match to deny Jannik Vestergaard a last-gasp winner for the Foxes from a free-kick.

The draw ended the Owls’ three-game losing run and sees Leicester’s lead at the summit reduced to a solitary point after Ipswich Town beat Millwall.

Foxes boss Enzo Maresca said before the trip to Hillsborough that it would be the “worst game” for them – anticipating that the embattled Owls, galvanised by by new manager Danny Rohl, would see the competition pacesetters as a major scalp to claim in an effort to turn their miserable fortunes around.

He was immediately proved right, with the Owls aggressive in their approach and audacious in their efforts to take the game to a side that are at the opposite end of the table and started the night 36 points ahead of them after 17 games.

Barry Bannan tested Foxes goalkeeper Hermansen within the first minute, while Callum Paterson had another threatening chance blocked before Bambo Diaby tested the Danish keeper again inside the opening quarter of an hour.

Ricardo Pereira saw a long-range effort deflected over the bar before Fatawu put the visitors ahead, taking a Stephy Mavididi cross down on his chest before firing home.

The Owls remained upbeat in search of a response, but a shot that George Byers dragged across the face of goal, and which Paterson failed to reach in attempt to bundle home, was as close as they came before the break.

Chances were limited for much of the second half, with the Owls kept largely subdued by an more organised Leicester performance.

Leicester’s former England striker Jamie Vardy worked hard to carve out chances, with the best coming late on when he hooked a pass into the box for Kasey McAteer, who could only put his finish wide.

The hosts finished strong to snatch the draw, with Fletcher calling Hermansen into action in the 90th minute – only for the equaliser to come moments later when a searching ball was flicked on and into the path of Hendrick to finish.

It took a save from Dawson to ensure the Owls got the point they deserved, keeping Vestergaard out at the far post with the last action of the game.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl said:

“Our players did so very well today. When you look how we played against the first of the table, how we pressed and how we played football.

“We had two big chances after five minutes to go in the lead. We believed in our match-plan and we did well.

“It’s a good feeling at the end that we had a happy end. It’s important that everybody is believing in us, supporting us and sometimes being a little bit patient.

“I know that sometimes it looks a little bit calm but we need this calmness to prepare the next action.”

Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca told BBC Radio Leicester:

“It’s a shame the way we drew at the end of the game but sometimes that happens for us, that we score at the end and sometimes it happens for the opponent.

“Overall the game was up and down.

“We’ve said that we need to become a little more clinical but we are going to, for sure, in the future take our chances.

“In 72 hours we have another game so we need to recover the energy. That is the most important thing now.”

Line-ups

Sheff Wed

Formation 4-1-4-1

  • 1Dawson
  • 6Iorfa
  • 5DiabySubstituted forPalmerat 62′minutes
  • 17Bernard
  • 23FamewoBooked at 20mins
  • 4VaulksSubstituted forFletcherat 79′minutes
  • 13Paterson
  • 8ByersSubstituted forBuckleyat 72′minutes
  • 10BannanBooked at 57minsSubstituted forHendrickat 79′minutes
  • 18Johnson
  • 42CadamarteriSubstituted forMusabaat 61′minutes

Substitutes

  • 2Palmer
  • 20Ihiekwe
  • 21Buckley
  • 22Hendrick
  • 27Fletcher
  • 33James
  • 36Vásquez
  • 41Gassama
  • 45Musaba

Leicester

Formation 4-3-3

  • 30Hermansen
  • 21Ricardo PereiraSubstituted forChoudhuryat 83′minutes
  • 4Coady
  • 23VestergaardBooked at 35mins
  • 3FaesSubstituted forJustinat 45′minutes
  • 7CasadeiSubstituted forDewsbury-Hallat 61′minutes
  • 8Winks
  • 29AkgünSubstituted forNdidiat 61′minutes
  • 18FatawuSubstituted forMcAteerat 60′minutes
  • 9Vardy
  • 10Mavididi

Substitutes

  • 2Justin
  • 14Iheanacho
  • 15Souttar
  • 17Choudhury
  • 22Dewsbury-Hall
  • 25Ndidi
  • 28Cannon
  • 35McAteer
  • 41Stolarczyk

Referee:
Samuel Barrott

Attendance:
26,036

Match Stats

Live Text

  1. Match ends, Sheffield Wednesday 1, Leicester City 1.

  2. Second Half ends, Sheffield Wednesday 1, Leicester City 1.

  3. Attempt saved. Jannik Vestergaard (Leicester City) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall with a cross.

  4. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Leicester City) wins a free kick on the left wing.

  5. Foul by Callum Paterson (Sheffield Wednesday).

  6. Goal! Sheffield Wednesday 1, Leicester City 1. Jeff Hendrick (Sheffield Wednesday) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Callum Paterson with a headed pass following a set piece situation.

  7. Foul by Stephy Mavididi (Leicester City).

  8. John Buckley (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick on the right wing.

  9. Attempt missed. Dominic Iorfa (Sheffield Wednesday) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left following a corner.

  10. Corner, Sheffield Wednesday. Conceded by Jannik Vestergaard.

  11. Attempt saved. Ashley Fletcher (Sheffield Wednesday) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Akin Famewo.

  12. Attempt saved. Marvin Johnson (Sheffield Wednesday) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Callum Paterson.

  13. Attempt missed. Marvin Johnson (Sheffield Wednesday) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.

  14. Offside, Leicester City. Stephy Mavididi is caught offside.

  15. Substitution, Leicester City. Hamza Choudhury replaces Ricardo Pereira.

  16. Attempt missed. Kasey McAteer (Leicester City) left footed shot from very close range is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Jamie Vardy.

  17. Attempt blocked. Kasey McAteer (Leicester City) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Wilfred Ndidi.

  18. Substitution, Sheffield Wednesday. Ashley Fletcher replaces Will Vaulks.

  19. Substitution, Sheffield Wednesday. Jeff Hendrick replaces Barry Bannan.

  20. Kasey McAteer (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

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