Gary Hooper scored twice as Sheffield Wednesday bounced back from successive defeats to beat Leeds United 3-0 at Hillsborough this afternoon.
The striker made it seven goals in seven games with a first-half brace which helped the Owls gain full control of the meeting with their Yorkshire rivals.
Pierre-Michel Lasogga hit the post shortly after the break with Leeds's best chance of the match, but Wednesday soon regained control and went on the attack for more goals.
Barry Bannan and hat-trick hunting Hooper both hit the woodwork late on, and Kieran Lee did add a third with a skilful volley from the edge of the box.
Relive how the action unfolded with Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates.
Happy Sunday everyone! Sports Mole has an awesome lineup of football fully covered for you today, including the Championship Yorkshire derby between out-of-form Sheffield Wednesday and fourth-place Leeds United at Hillsborough. Let's see how the two sides are lining up...
SHEFF WED: Wildsmith; Hunt, Lees, Van Aken, Reach; Lee, Bannan, Jones, Wallace; Fletcher, Hooper
Subs: Dawson, Pudil, Palmer, Joao, Butterfield, Nuhiu, Rhodes
Subs: Dawson, Pudil, Palmer, Joao, Butterfield, Nuhiu, Rhodes
LEEDS: Wiedwald; Ayling, Pennington, Jansson, Berardi; Phillips, O'Kane, Roofe, Saiz, Alioski; Lasogga
Subs: Lonergan, Shaughnessy, Dallas, Vieira, Sacko, Hernandez, Grot
Subs: Lonergan, Shaughnessy, Dallas, Vieira, Sacko, Hernandez, Grot
Carlos Carvalhal may be feeling the pressure after successive defeats and he makes two changes to the side which lost 1-0 to lowly Birmingham in midweek. David Jones and Ross Wallace return in midfield, with Morgan Fox and Jacob Butterfield dropping out and Adam Reach shifting to left-back.
First-choice goalkeeper Kieren Westwood misses out again because of a rib injury, while Tom Lees, who started his career at Leeds and made over 130 appearances for the Whites, captains Wednesday.
Fernando Forestieri, Almen Abdi and George Boyd have joined Glenn Loovens and Sam Hutchinson on the injury list for Wednesday, and yet they are still able to name the likes of Jordan Rhodes and Lucas Joao, who scored off the bench in the Steel City derby, among their substitutes.
Gary Hooper and Steven Fletcher is still the preferred strike partnership from the off - they have seven league goals between them so far this term.
Leeds boss Thomas Christiansen rings the changes following Wednesday's defeat to fellow pacesetters Cardiff, making four in total. Liam Cooper is suspended after being sent off in Wales, and Mateusz Klich, Stuart Dallas and Pablo Hernandez are all dropped.
Everton loanee Matthew Pennington deputises for Cooper in defence, while Eunan O'Kane is fit to return in midfield after sitting out the Cardiff trip with a niggle. Pierre-Michel Lasogga and Samuel Saiz are both recalled to freshen up the visiting attack.
Although they are enjoying their best ever start to a Championship season (20 points from 10 games) Leeds have lost their previous two away trips to Millwall and Cardiff. They last lost three in a row on the road back in December 2014.
The first goal in a game is always important, but it tends to be particularly decisive for Leeds, who have won all six of their league games in which they have scored the first goal this season, but have lost both in which they have conceded first.
If Leeds are looking for another good omen, this is the fifth league meeting between the two teams on a Sunday and the Whites have won all the previous four: in January 1992 (6-1), November 1998 (2-1), April 2000 (3-0) and August 2006 (1-0).
However, the Owls have never lost three Championship matches in a row under the management of Carlos Carvalhal, who was appointed in June 2015. The last time that happened was the final three games of the 2013-14 campaign, when Stuart Gray was in charge.
Wednesday have not been in the same division as both of their fiercest rivals since the 2005-06 Championship campaign, which was an unhappy one for them as they finished 19th, lost 3 of the 4 games to United and Leeds and watched the Blades get promoted.
The current table will make just as unhappy reading for Carvalhal's men, with United and Leeds are in the top three prior to this weekend's games and Wednesday languishing in 14th, when it was the Owls who were one of the pre-season promotion favourites.
HEAD TO HEAD: Leeds prevailed in both of the fixtures between these teams last season, although it was departed top scorer Chris Wood who was the match-winner on each occasion. They have also won two out of the three meetings at Hillsborough since they were thrashed 6-0 in January 2014.
PREDICTION: I fancy this will be an all-action, end-to-end game fitting of its derby status. The two sides are fairly well matched and that could tee us up for an entertaining 2-2 draw.
KICKOFF: We are underway at Hillsborough, which is rocking despite the recent form of their side. Leeds, back to nearly full strength after midweek changes, are in their black strip.
Lees knocks it forward and the second ball falls to Reach, whose finds Fletcher at the edge of the box but the former Sunderland and Burnley striker cannot bring it down on his chest.
Kalvin Phillips makes a good run to the back post to meet a cross from Saiz, but he can only send the ball behind on the stretch. Four of the midfielder's six career goals have come this season and Wednesday will have to be wary of his runs into the box.
Saiz comes deep to pick up possession and quickly switches it to Roofe on the right wing. He creates some room to get away from Reach and whip in a cross, but Van Aken clears at the near post.
The first 'derby' challenge of the game comes in from David Jones as he takes Saiz down from behind. The Spaniard is quickly back on his feet and soon has a shooting chance which he blazes over the crossbar from 25 yards.
Lovely skill from Wallace as he turns Pontus Jansson inside out on the right flank before cutting back onto his dangerous left for a cross which is just too deep for Fletcher and the marauding Reach.
Poor defending from Reach as he switches off and allows Roofe to get to the byline from a throw-in. Nothing comes of it, but the Leeds winger was allowed to ghost into a good position unchallenged.
Wednesday have looked long to Fletcher several times already and the Scotland international has won every header, which the Owls will be encouraged by. During one aerial duel, he clashed heads with Luke Ayling and had to go off for some treatment, but he is patched up and back in the game.
CHANCE! Leeds display their counter-attacking threat as Saiz dances forward with ball and drops a cross right onto the head of Ezgjan Alioski at the back post, but he tamely nods into the side-netting from a couple of yards out. Fletcher would have put that away at the other end, you fancy.
Saiz is making things happen for Leeds and, at the end of another dangerous dribble, the ball drops for Roofe eight yards out. He tries to poke it round Wildsmith, who makes an excellent block at point-blank range. The flag goes up anyway, although it did appears as though Roofe was onside.
It has been a good few minutes for Wednesday as they have ventured forward through Bannan and Lee, only to have threatening shots and crosses blocked. Wallace has done a good job so far of dragging Jansson out of the middle to Wednesday's right flank, and he buys another free kick from the Swede.
SHOT! From the corner which resulted from that free kick, the ball comes out to Reach who strikes it with his left foot. A deflection makes it slightly tougher for goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald, although the German still made a bit of a meal of parrying it away.
Carvalhal will be pleased to see his side enjoying more of the ball and territory in this last few minutes, but that only increases the counter-attacking threat of the visitors, which has already been on show with the pace and trickery of Saiz and Alioski.
GOAL! SHEFF WED 1-0 LEEDS (GARY HOOPER)
The hosts lead through Gary Hooper's sixth league goal of the season, and arguably the most important yet. Hunt knocks a deep free kick into the box, where Lees climbs highest to win the header, and Leeds are asleep as Hooper reacts quickest to poke the second ball past a stranded Wiedwald.
That goal has really got the Hillsborough crowd going and Wednesday now have another promising free-kick opportunity after Hunt is hacked down by Berardi following a good combination with Wallace.
Wallace curls a brilliant ball in between the Leeds defence and goalkeeper, but there is just a fraction too much pace on it for Reach to get a head on it at the back post. That was similar to the Marcus Rashford delivery for Marouane Fellaini's second goal yesterday. Any touch and it would have been in.
DISALLOWED! Wednesday have been robbed of a two-goal lead by a very poor offside decision from the assistant referee. Lee times his run perfectly and confidently finds the bottom corner from Bannan's slide-rule pass, but the flag goes up despite Lee being a couple of yards onside.
The Owls are all over Leeds at this point and only an important block from Pennington kept their deficit at one. Lee fizzes a cross into the near post which Hooper turns goalwards, only to find the Everton youngster protecting the route to goal.
MISS! Leeds survive again as Fletcher misses a sitter from inside the six-yard box. Wallace's delivery is superb and the target man gets above his marker before somehow heading wide from close range. That is meat and drink for one of the best headers of the ball in the Championship.
The visitors have a glimpse of an opening through the Saiz-Alioski combination, but a Wednesday side increasing in confidence by the minute snuffs out the danger. Saiz looks the most likely source for Leeds but they simply haven't got the ball to him in the last 15 minutes as it has been all Wednesday.
Leeds get some respite from the Wednesday pressure for a couple of minutes as Hunt requires treatment on the far touchline. Some good exercise for the physio, but this doesn't look good for the Owls full-back.
SUBSTITUTION: Indeed Hunt is not able to continue, and Liam Palmer comes on to fill in at right-back.
Wednesday want a penalty for handball against Jansson, but the Swede certainly didn't intend to fall over and roll the ball off his chest onto his arm. Carvalhal is going crazy on the touchline, seemingly forgetting the intentional wording of the handball ruling.
GOAL! SHEFF WED 2-0 LEEDS (GARY HOOPER)
The hosts should have been two up 10 minutes ago and now they do have the advantage that their dominance deserves. Again it comes through Hooper reacting quickest to a second ball, prodding home at the back post after Fletcher had nodded Palmer's deep delivery back across goal.
Christiansen will be furious with the manner of the goals that his Leeds side have conceded. They could so easily have been avoided by defenders being on their toes, and keeping closer tabs on the instinctive Hooper.
Bannan tries to add a third before the break, but his left-footed shot from the edge of the box was always drifting a few yards wide.
At the start of THREE minutes of first-half stoppage time, Lassoga has his first chance of the game - and Leeds's first for half an hour - by firing a shot which Wildsmith had covered just wide of the post.
HALF TIME: SHEFF WED 2-0 LEEDS
Half time then, and the painful memories of last weekend's Steel City derby defeat seem to have been vanquished by Wednesday. After a slow start, they grabbed complete control of this game and deservedly lead 2-0 thanks to a double from Gary Hooper.
It really should be 3-0, too, with Kieran Lee having a goal wrongly chalked off for offside on the half-hour mark - it was a good take with the outside of his foot, as well. The way that Wednesday have dominated, though, it does not look as though the poor call from the linesman will be decisive.
The visitors are badly missing suspended centre-back Liam Cooper, with Wednesday winning all of the first and second balls in the Leeds box. He is a real communicator and organiser in the Leeds defence and that has been badly lacking for both of the Wednesday goals.
Leeds had started brightly, with Samuel Saiz at the heart of some good early attacks. If they are going to start a second-half comeback, the Spaniard is likely to be the source of any joy.
STAT: Gary Hooper now has nine goals in nine games against Leeds United, and you would not bet against him adding to that tally in the second half. Another goal would complete his hat-trick and make him the top scorer in the Championship on eight goals.
UPDATE: It is a long way back for Leeds from here, and Brighton face a similar challenge in the Premier League as they trail Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium after goals from Nacho Monreal and Alex Iwobi.
KICKOFF: We are back underway, with both sides unchanged for now apart from Wednesday's enforced first-half change of Liam Palmer for Jack Hunt, who has sustained a knee injury, at right-back.
An early scare for Wednesday as Van Aken, having failed to spot the lurking Roofe, tries to shadow the ball back to Wildsmith. The Leeds winger gets a foot to the ball, but not enough on it to poke it goalwards.
WOODWORK! Leeds come within inches of pulling one back as Lassoga strikes the post. A nothing ball into the box reaches the German because of careless defending from Van Aken, but his 15-yard shot comes off the wrong side of the woodwork, with Wildsmith beaten.
It has been a really sloppy start to the second half by the Owls, and a 2-0 lead is never secure in the unpredictable world of Championship football. They need to stay switched on at the back otherwise they could throw this great position away.
Reach crosses early towards Hooper, who is brimming with confidence and attempts and audacious flick from the penalty spot. Those efforts are very difficult to control and the ball sails comfortably over the crossbar.
This is more like the Wednesday of the first half, as Bannan plays a one-two with Reach before crossing into the box. Fletcher jumps but is just underneath the ball, and Jansson clears the danger.
Barry Bannan is showing this afternoon that he is one of the best players in the Championship. He is completely one-footed, mind, and shoots wide with an ugly toe-poke after dribbling inside from the left but refusing to shoot on his right foot.
Wednesday have regained control of proceedings after some complacency at the start of the second half. Still, a third goal in the next 10 minutes would be nice for the Owls, to really kill off their opponents.
Reach is lucky to escape a yellow card after hacking down Ayling on the Wednesday left. The former Middlesbrough man is certainly more of an attack-minded player, but he shows his defensive capabilities with a good clearing header from the resultant free kick.
SUBSTITUTION: Double change from Leeds as Hadi Sacko and Pablo Hernandez replace Alioski and Roofe in midfield. Support for Lassoga in the form of Jay-Rot Grot is probably what they needed.
SAVE! Wiedwald did not cover himself in glory for Wednesday's first goal, but he does well here to prevent Hooper's hat-trick and keep Leeds in the game. Bannan picks out another great slide-rule pass which Hooper runs onto to shoot left-footed, but Wiedwald is out quickly to block.
CLOSE! Ayling crosses into a dangerous area and forces Lees into a clearing header over his own crossbar. From the resulting corner, the ball bounces towards goal but Lee is on hand to clear off the line!
Skilful play by Hernandez on the left and a clever pass releases Saiz, who tries to use his marker as a shield to keep Wildsmith unsighted and curls a shot which drifts wide. A decent effort from Leeds's best player.
Jansson is down and a stretcher has been called for the Leeds defender. It appeared to be a clash with his own teammate Phillips that took the Swede down and, rightly, every care is being taken with him by the medical staff.
SUBSTITUTION: Stuart Dallas is Jansson's replacement; an interesting call from Christiansen which should trigger a change in shape to three at the back, with Dallas and Sakho at wing backs.
Leeds might finish this game with 10 men because, worryingly for Christiansen, midfielder Phillips is still suffering from the impact of that challenge with Jansson, and the visitors have already made three changes. He looks shaken as he limps off, although he looks set to come back on for now.
Dallas has to retreat to make an important clearing header from a Wallace corner which was destined for the six-yard box. Leeds were defending that with Philipps off the pitch, but are now back to their full complement.
SAVE! Hernandez and Saiz is the combination that might engineer a way back into this game for Leeds. The veteran slides in his much younger Spaniard, who tries to beat Wildsmith at his near post from a tight angle, only for the Wednesday stopper to block safely.
Wonderful play from Bannan, who skips away from a couple of challenges before feeding the overlapping Reach, whose cross is turned away by Berardi with Hooper lurking, desperate for his hat-trick.
SAVE! Wallace pops up in the middle and takes on a left-footed shot from 25 yards that Wiedwald saves by diving low to his left. That looked on course for the bottom corner.
WOODWORK! Bannan deserves a goal for his display today and he finds time and space on the edge of the box for a left-footed shot which left Wiedwald with no chance, but cannoned back off the post.
SHEFF WED 3-0 LEEDS (KIERAN LEE)
Wednesday wrap up victory in style through an outstanding Kieran Lee volley. O'Kane tries to be too clever with a clearance, and Lee nips in front of Dallas on the edge of the box to strike the sweetest of volleys into the bottom corner from 22 yards. Brilliant technique from the midfielder, and you cannot argue that it isn't deserved for man or team.
SUBSTITUTION: Bannan gets a standing ovation as he is replaced by Jacob Butterfield for the final five minutes.
Fletcher tries to pick out Hooper for his hat-trick goal, but overhits his cross, which the two-goal hero throws himself to the floor in an attempt to meet.
We are going to have SIX minutes of stoppage time, so enough time for a Hooper hat-trick...
SUBSTITUTION: Another excellent Wednesday performer feels the appreciation of the Hillsborough crowd as Fletcher is clapped off and replaced by Jordan Rhodes for a short cameo.
WOODWORK! Hooper does get his hat-trick chance, but smashes it against the crossbar! Rhodes knocks down a cross from Palmer into his path and Hooper's first touch sets him up perfectly 12 yards out, but his shot is tipped onto the woodwork by the stretching Wiedwald.
FULL TIME: SHEFF WED 3-0 LEEDS
An important and convincing victory for Wednesday, with Hooper their hero with his sixth and seventh goals in his last seven games. Lee's volley was undoubtedly the pick of the goals and the icing on the cake for Carlos Carvalhal's men against a very underwhelming Leeds outfit.
The Owls jump back into the top half - and based on this performance they are going to continue to rise up the table after the international break. Leeds fall to fifth on goal difference, and have now lost three of their last four matches.
You can read our match report on this one-sided Yorkshire derby by clicking here.
Written by
Joe Fish
Joe Fish
