Huddersfield Town vs Sheffield Wednesday. Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs Semi-Final.
The John Smith's StadiumAttendance20,357.
Sunday 14 May 2017 16:52, UK
Sheffield Wednesday have the edge in their Sky Bet Championship play-off semi-final after holding Huddersfield to a goalless draw in the first leg.
The Terriers were in charge for most of the game at the John Smith's Stadium on Sunday, but failed to break down a resilient Owls side who came to keep things tight.
And Carlos Carvalhal will be the happier of the two managers as he prepares for the return leg at Hillsborough on Wednesday night.
The first half followed largely the same pattern as the first semi-final between Fulham and Reading on Saturday, as Wednesday looked more than happy to sit back away from home.
Huddersfield had plenty of the ball but could not break through the Owls, and their only real chance came after 23 minutes when Glenn Loovens failed to clear the ball out of his six-yard properly, but Izzy Brown was not alert enough to capitalise as his effort clipped the top of the bar and went over.
David Wagner's side continued to dominate after the break but, much like in the first half, only a bit of fortune in the box saw them get a real opening with just under 20 minutes to go.
This time it was a ricochet off Jack Hunt that landed at the feet of Nahki Wells in the six-yard box, but Wednesday goalkeeper Keirin Westwood was alert to the danger and did brilliantly to close down the striker and divert his effort over the bar.
And that was as close as they'd get, as Wednesday saw out the draw to give themselves the slight advantage heading back to Hillsborough.
Huddersfield boss David Wagner:
"There were two different match plans and set ups, they sat deep and we wanted to create. I think we performed well and gave nothing away, but unfortunately we were not able to use one of our chances. They're a strong defensive team with great offensive power as well, and I think it's game on at Wednesday. I'm absolutely okay with this result.
"It makes no sense to think about them [ahead of the second leg] because they'll do what they want and can only influence what we do. Everyone said we were the underdogs, but we've shown we're competitive. We still have a real chance and it's a wonderful feeling.
"It's the biggest game in the last 45 years of the club and we're aware of that. You don't often have the opportunity to play in these games and it was great to see. We have no experience [of these games] but we know what we have to do."
Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal:
"It wasn't the perfect performance because perfect would have been winning. We talked pre-match about efficiency and what we must do in this type of game to get [results], and we've done well compared to last season.
"We understand it's a semi-final and it's important to win, but it's also important not to give any advantage [to Huddersfield]. At the end of the day we're satisfied because we'll play like a final at Hillsborough with our fans, who I think can have a big effect on the game.
"We must give credit to our players. We made one or two mistakes but we defended very well and now we have a big chance to get to the final. But we respect Huddersfield because they have a good team. It will be an interesting night on Wednesday."
