Sheffield Wednesday 1 Plymouth Argyle 0: Owls resurgence continues as Djeidi Gassama strike secures win

The Owls were good value for their victory, making it five wins from six league games courtesy of a second-half Djeidi Gassama strike.

Plymouth’s plan to get Morgan Whittaker on the ball was evident early on but it was an Owls attacker on the opposite side of the pitch who looked the liveliest early on.

Ian Poveda was a livewire from the get-go, orchestrating Wednesday attacks with the guile the Hillsborough faithful have come to love him for. He first delivered for Gassama, who could not adjust his feet quickly enough for the finish.

He then picked out Ike Ugbo, although the free-scoring frontman was denied at close-range. The loanee winger appeared to have been rewarded for his bright start when he finished off a slick attacking move, although he was judged to have drifted offside.

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There was a flicker from Plymouth after the disallowed goal and Ashley Phillips was unlucky to be denied by James Beadle after a Whittaker delivery. Darko Gyabi then tried his luck, although Beadle was not troubled by his tame effort.

Wednesday soon regained control but opportunities were at a premium as the half-time whistle approached.

Barry Bannan’s half-time withdrawal did not remove the spring from Wednesday’s step and they emerged from the break looking the sharper side. Poveda picked up from where he left off before the interval, calling Conor Hazard into action early on with a curling effort.

The Owls eventually took the lead on the hour mark, with their regular source of goals turning provider for Gassama. Ugbo pulled back to his teammate from the right and watched as the former Paris Saint-Germain man steered past Hazard.

Wednesday had managed to limit Whittaker’s involvement but his ability was on full display when he did manage to get in the game. Beadle was forced to beat away a thunderous effort from the Pilgrims talisman with Wednesday’s lead barely five minutes old.

A spell of Plymouth pressure followed but Wednesday weathered a storm, eventually creating a golden opportunity of their own on the counter-attack. Bailey Cadamarteri squared for Marvin Johnson but the marauding wing-back skewed wide.

The visitors rallied late on but Danny Rohl’s men held firm, securing three crucial points in their battle for Championship survival.