Sheffield Wednesday won their first steel city derby in over five and a half years, after they deservedly beat bitter rivals Sheffield United 2-0 at Hillsborough this lunchtime.

Both sides put in typically committed performances for such a big fixture, but it was Wednesday who produced just a little bit more quality in the final third which eventually saw them to a much-needed win.

United will feel they still could have snatched at least a draw from the game though, after creating several goalscoring chances, which they failed to convert. And finishing was certainly the difference between the two teams at the end of the day, as Akpo Sodje and Marcus Tudgay managed to find the net from very well-worked moves for the home side.

The game expectedly began in scrappy fashion, with neither side able to keep possession for long enough to create any major opportunities early on. United keeper Paddy Kenny was tested as the first-half wore on though, and he produced two excellent stops during the opening period from Jermaine Johnson’s clever strike and Tudgay’s acrobatic overhead kick.

But Kenny could do nothing on 25 minutes, when Johnson’s terrific low ball across the area was calmly turned in at the back post by Sodje, to send the Hillsborough crowd into jubilation.

Sheffield United’s tactics were clearly not working in the first half, and lone striker Rob Hulse was far too isolated in attack, as their midfield players failed to provide the necessary support to fashion many opportunities to score. Michael Tonge did have one of their only half-chances moments before the half-time interval, but he embarrassingly miscued his attempted volley, in a moment which summed up United’s performance in the opening 45 minutes.

The away side improved drastically in the early stages of the second half though, and piled huge amounts of pressure on Brain Law’s Sheffield Wednesday outfit. They failed to take advantage of this by scoring though, and they ultimately paid a heavy price for not finding the net when they were on top – something you have to do in football.

Wednesday sealed their fully deserved three points, and bragging rights throughout the city, on 75 minutes, when Tudgay slammed home a volley from close range, leaving Paddy Kenny with absolutely no chance of keeping it out. The home side could have even added more to their already impressive margin of superiority, but a few top stops Kenny kept the scoreline to 2-0.

So United fans will make the extremely short journey home very unhappy with current club matters, but they can at least rectify this derby day disaster in just over a month’s time, when the two sides meet again at Brammal Lane. It should be a good one.

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