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Sheffield Weds 0 Leeds 2: Garry Monk secures important win

Wednesday: Westwood, Pudil, Lees, Hutchinson, Lee, Abdi (Hooper 45), Hunt (Buckley 72), Wallace (Jones 64), Bannan, Forestieri, Fletcher.

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Fernando Forestieri shot wide from distance before Jack Hunt’s cross was headed wide by Alemen Abdi.

The Whites then missed a great chance soon after when Vieira’s terrific pass set Sacko away.

And as the home side instinctively pushed forward, gaps were left in behind for another new signing, ex-Oxford forward Kemar Roofe, to play a low cross into Chris Wood who slotted in his second goal in as many games to seal the win five minutes from time.

Wednesday came within a whisker of taking the lead, though, just before half-time as Abdi’s free-kick hit the crossbar.

He was first put through by a lucky deflection off Leeds defender Chris Taylor, but rolled his shot just wide of the right-hand upright.

Leeds, though, ended the half in the ascendancy with Sacko again skinning the Owls defence and seeing his cross hacked away for a corner which was cleared.

United were full value for their first victory of the Garry Monk regime, with all the questions belonging to his counterpart Carlos Carvalhal, whose Wednesday side could have no complaints after being second best on the day. “We responded well after conceding and created three or four chances, but fell victim to the counter-attack from Leeds”.

A searing counter started when Taylor supplied Wood, in acres of space and he switched the play to Sacko. The duo played a lovely one-two and Sacko’s cross was ideal for Antonsson to put the ball in the net for a goal of high quality.

The goal sparked bedlam in the away end but Wednesday nearly immediately equalised with Green saving a close-range shot from Hooper before the ball was hacked away for a corner.

Hooper and Steven Fletcher then narrowly failed to make the breakthrough with a clever one-two, before Hooper then fired wide from 12 yards.

The goal caused a mass Hillsborough exodus and it was Leeds who went closest to bagging the game’s third goal, first through Sacko who fired wide and then through Taylor whose curler was off target.

Liam Bridcutt was handed his second debut following his permanent arrival from Sunderland, while Hadi Sacko, Alex Mowatt and Ronaldo Vieira returned to the starting line-up in a youthful looking midfield, with Kemar Roofe, Pablo Hernandez and Kalvin Phillips named on the bench.

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Subs: Hernandez, Bamba, Roofe, Doukara, Silvestri, Phillips, Coyle. Subs not used: Wildsmith, Palmer, Sasso, Joao.

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