Owusu makes Blades pay for blunt finishing

Sheffield Wednesday 2 Sheffield United

Two goals late in the second half – the opener scored by Lloyd Owusu with his first touch in a Wednesday shirt – secured the Owls their first victory of the season at the expense of neighbours they had not beaten since 1994.

Until the former Brentford striker came on as a 70th-minute substitute the game was drifting towards the same goalless stalemate the Sheffield teams twice fought out last season.

Indeed, but for a series of fine saves by Kevin Pressman, Wednesday would have been chasing a game. The Blades should have been leading comfortably if they could have found a cutting edge to go with their greater share of the early possession.

"It was the best substitution of my managerial career,'' said Wednesday's manager Terry Yorath, "and without Pressman's ability today we would not have won the match.''

The veteran goalkeeper kept his side in it twice inside a minute in the first period, diving to keep out John-Paul McGovern's drive with one hand and from the subsequent corner blocking Iffy Onuora's header to allow Ian Hendon to clear on the line.

If Pressman was carrying the flag for the older generation, 19-year-old United midfielder Michael Tonge was the emerging talent, constantly threatening to prise open the Wednesday defence with his teasing runs down the left. His only fault seems to be over confidence, trying to walk the ball into the net when a shot or a pass would pay greater dividends.

But the pattern of the game began to change on the hour when Shefki Kuqi, whose strength in the air presented Wednesday's main threat, forced Rob Ullathorne to clear off his line.

Then Paul McLaren, the Owls' other impressive player, hit the bar with an overhead kick. Enter Owusu, who had previously only played an hour for Wednesday's reserves. He watched Kuqi hit the woodwork again and nipped in to convert the rebound. Ten minutes later Kuqi sealed it, turning Alan Quinn's cross past United's goalkeeper Paddy Kenny.

But Steel City derbies are passionate affairs and United were not done yet. Stuart McCall hit the woodwork, Pressman made another point-blank save from substitute Peter Ndlovu and Carl Asaba should have done better than hit the side netting with the loose ball.

United's manager Neil Warnock was left to dwell on what might have been. "We couldn't have scored in a brothel today,'' he said. "We played great football but Pressman should never have seen half a dozen of our chances. What we need is a 20-goals-a-season striker.''

Goals: Owusu (72) 1-0; Kuqi (82) 2-0.

Sheffield Wednesday (4-4-2): Pressman; Hendon (Owusu, 71), Westwood, Bromby, Burrows; Knight, Soltvedt (Quinn, 57), McLaren, Armstrong; Kuqi, Donnelly (Hamshaw, h-t). Substitutes not used: Evans (gk), Maddix.

Sheffield United (4-4-2): Kenny; Kozluk, Murphy, Yates (Doane, 77), Ullathorne; McGovern (Ndlovu, 78), Jagielka (Brown, 80), McCall, Tonge; Onuora, Asaba. Substitutes not used: Ten Heuvel, Montgomery.

Referee: A Leake (Darwen).

Bookings: Sheffield Wednesday: Burrows, Hendon. Sheffield United: McCall.

Man of the match: Pressman

Attendance: 27,075.