Sunderland 1 Sheffield Wednesday 0: Story of the night as Ross Stewart goal puts Cats ahead in League One play-off semi-final

Sunderland will take a 1-0 first-leg lead to Sheffield Wednesday after Ross Stewart scored the only goal of the game at the Stadium of Light.
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Sunderland had chances to double their lead in the second half as Alex Pritchard hit the crossbar.

The hosts were also forced to defend their advantage in the closing stages but held onto their clean sheet.

Here’s how the match played out:

RECAP: Sunderland 1 (Stewart, 45) Sheffield Wednesday 0

Key Events

  • Sunderland XI: Patterson, Wright, Batth, Cirkin, Gooch, Evans, O’Nien, Clarke (Doyle, 90+3), Roberts (Embleton, 81), Pritchard (Matete, 81), Stewart
  • Subs: Hoffmann, Doyle, Hume, Embleton, Neil, Matete, McGeady
  • Sheffield Wednesday XI: Peacock-Farrell, Palmer, Storey, Dean, Hutchinson, Johnson, Byers, Luongo, Bannan, Berahino (Windass, 56), Gregory
  • Subs: Wildsmith, Hunt, Dunkley, Dele-Bashiru, Mendez-Laing, Windass, Paterson

Thanks for joining us tonight

We’re signing off from tonight’s blog but have plenty more reaction over on the SAFC section of the Echo website.

Job half done. Onto Monday.

Full-time thoughts from the Stadium of Light

FULL-TIME: Sunderland 1 Sheffield Wednesday 0

90+3’ Stewart doing his defensive work

Stewart clears Bannan’s in-swinging corner.

Important intervention from the striker.

90+3’ FINAL CHANGE

Doyle has come on for Clarke.

Wednesday are applying more pressure but Batth has just made an excellent block to deny Windass.

89’ Chance for a second!

That would have been a huge goal.

Cirkin’s clearance caused chaos at the back for Wednesday and Peacock-Farrell’s attempted headed clearance fell to Stewart.

The keeper managed to get back on his line before the striker fired a low shot wide.