Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal has admitted that Hull City deserved their victory over his side in the Championship playoff final this afternoon.
Mohamed Diame scored the only goal of the game at Wembley as Hull clinched promotion back to the Premier League in a match that was worth an estimated £170m to the winner.
Wednesday had already exceeded expectations by even reaching the playoffs, and Carvalhal was keen to keep things in perspective following the disappointment of defeat.
"To talk about this game we must talk about the season we had. We achieved the playoffs with very hard work," he told reporters.
"In the final we played a strong team who were relegated from the Premier League and who have the same coach and have been together a long time.
"I think Hull deserved to win, they were better than us. We did our best. I think we have woken the giant and Sheffield Wednesday will be more respected in the future."
Wednesday ended the regular season sixth in the Championship table, nine points adrift of Hull in fourth.
Barney Corkhill
