It was worth the wait. Five years after the last Sheffield derby, when both teams were in League One, Wednesday and United put on a brilliant, pulsating game that the Blades won 4-2. There won’t be a happier man in Yorkshire than United manager Chris Wilder, who watched his first derby from the terraces as a fan 37 years ago.
Leon Clarke, once a Wednesday player, scored twice, the others coming from John Fleck and Mark Duffy, and goals from Gary Hooper and Lucas Joao couldn’t deny the visitors their first win at Hillsborough since 2006.
In the lead-up to the game you got the sense that Wednesday were a little more tense than United, back in the division after six years away and with less to lose. And that was confirmed when United took the lead in just the third minute; David Brooks, 20 and making just his second league start, backheeled a free-kick to Fleck who belted a shot low into the net. Wednesday keeper Kieran Westwood didn’t move, but there would have been no point getting his shorts muddy: it was an unstoppable effort.
In the 15th minute it was 2-0. A ball over the top found Clarke, the Wednesday defence glanced around assuming the offside flag would be raised, but an idling Jack Hunt played the forward on and Clarke casually stroked home with his left foot.
A significant chunk of the away support missed both goals, reportedly due to some rather inefficient policing, although some Wednesday fans might have wished they’d been kept out too. They were at times almost comically poor, summed up by a moment not long before half-time when Adam Reach started a run down the left, but under no pressure simply pushed the ball out of play. Boos rang out, and the Wednesday players were heading for a rather spicy reception on their way off the pitch at half-time, but with the last action of the half they pulled a goal back. Ross Wallace hooked a cross from the right side of the box to the near-post, where Hooper was waiting to stab home.
After the break Wednesday had more purpose, although initially United still had the better chances: a Clarke tap-in was disallowed for offside then the same player sliced a shot over when free and in space after brilliant work from Brooks.
But Wednesday drew level after the hour mark. Kieran Lee, one of the Championship’s more underrated players, danced his way out of trouble in the middle, a Reach cross found substitute Lucas Joao who hammered the ball into the roof of the net. Three quarters of the nearly 32,000 present bounced with glee, but their hubris was comprehensively punctured a few moments later.
Duffy, a United substitute, jinked into the area from the right and lashed a shot past Westwood, and all Wednesday’s good work from the previous 20 minutes was wasted. It was ripped up, thrown in a bin and set on fire after 76 minutes, when Clarke burst between two limp defenders and clipped the most delicate of finishes over Westwood. Clarke made 87 appearances as a Wednesday player, scoring 18 times: he now has four in four games against them. “We want five,” chanted the away fans. In the end four would have to do, but it was plenty.
SOURCE : GUARDIAN SPORTS posted by CAMPUS94
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