Brighton were on a roll and Wednesday apparently battling to hold onto their lead when Wallace struck a decisive blow for the visitors.
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Carlos Carvalhal vowed to “wake up the giant” after leading Sheffield Wednesday to Wembley and the brink of promotion.
Brighton’s playoff elimination came on Monday night when a 1-1 home draw against their South Yorkshire opponents saw them knocked out 3-1 on aggregate.
No team in Championship play-off history has overturned a 2-0 deficit from the first-leg.
Wednesday, 2-0 winners at Hillsborough on Friday, came under pressure from the start, but it took Brighton nearly 20 minutes to get the goal their dominance deserves.
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The Seagulls pinned their opponents back in their own half as they pressed forward again, and Anthony Knockaert rattled the woodwork with an excellent free-kick after Glenn Loovens brought him down.
Wednesday are looking to return to the top tier of English football after a 16-season absence and their 2-0 advantage from the first-leg proved a step too far for courageous Brighton, who only missed out on automatic promotion on goal difference. No team since the first world war has only lost five games in the regular season and not been promoted from English football’s second tier and Brighton finished level on points with promoted Middlesbrough only nine days earlier.
The second half began as quickly as the first, with Skalak and Wilson testing Westwood earlier before Barry Bannan did the same for Stockdale with a bouncing effort.
Hughton added: “We have to be realistic enough to know it’s going to be a tough task, but it is something that can be achieved”.
To finish on 89 points and not seal promotion to the top-flight will be a kick in the teeth for a team who flirted with relegation last season, but they will be in confident mood as they are now on a 20-game unbeaten run.
Wednesday will face either Hull City or Derby County in the Final on May 28.
The Seagulls were convinced Dunk was fouled by Gary Hooper as Wallace’s cross sailed over his head and into the net. “Things have gone against us in recent weeks”.
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“The disappointment is massive because we were so close to automatic promotion”.
