Blackburn Rovers 1 Sheffield Wednesday 1: Owls ultimately lucky to escape with a point

For a time, it looked as if Adam Reach's stunning 41st-minute strike might be sufficient to earn the Owls a gritty, backs-against-the-wall victory on the road, but having levelled through Joe Rothwell, it was the home team who looked the more likely to go on and wrap up maximum points in the closing stages.

Understandably, and certainly not surprisingly, Tony Pulis employed ultra-cautious tactics against the Championship's second most prolific side on Saturday afternoon. A clean-sheet was very obviously the aim and, pleasing on the eye it may not have been, his negative approach worked to good effect for the majority of the contest.

Set up in a 4-5-1 formation, Wednesday kept 10 men behind the ball and defended resolutely for 76 minutes, particularly during a largely uneventful opening period.

The visitors kept their shape and discipline, and although Rovers dominated the ball, they were unable to seriously extend Kieran Westwood in the away goal.

Much of the Owls' play on the few occasions when they did enjoy some possession was awful, passes misplaced all too often seeing them gift the ball straight back to their hosts.

Yet, one such moment would somehow lead to the South Yorkshiremen taking the lead.

The ball broke for Barry Bannan in the centre of the field, where he launched it into orbit in seemingly aimless fashion.

Two Blackburn defenders got themselves into a position to deal with the up-and-under, but made a mess of clearing it, an untidy bit of play presenting Reach with the opportunity to take aim 25 yards from goal.

What followed was in no way in keeping with anything that had gone before it as the Wednesday winger placed an exquisite finish beyond the despairing dive of Thomas Kaminski and into the top corner of the net.

Half a chance for a second materialised before the interval, Josh Windass getting in behind down the right, but dragging a wayward finish across the face of goal.

The second period began with the Owls showing far more intent and Reach's tenacity on the edge of the home box presented Windass with two more shooting opportunities.

His first effort was blocked then, when the ball broke kindly for him, he sent a second strike wide of the upright.

The unmarked Callum Paterson then got an attempted bicycle kick all wrong, while Reach came in off the right and dragged one past the near post as the visitors enjoyed by far their best spell of the match.

A triple-substitution just after the hour-mark would then spark Rovers into life again, the tide quickly turning following the arrival of Bradley Dack, Ben Brereton and Stewart Downing.

Adam Armstrong looked certain to level matters when he spun neatly inside the Sheffield penalty area and directed a low shot past Westwood, though the ball thudded against the base of the post.

Ten minutes later, Blackburn would however get their equaliser, in a manner that doubtless will have left Pulis fuming.

Rothwell drove at the Owls defence down the left, and showed some nice footwork as he danced into the area and past a couple of flimsy attempted tackles before sliding a composed finish beyond Westwood.

At the other end, Windass got himself into another promising position, only to see his close-range blast deflected over the cross-bar.

Tom Lees then thought he had restored the away advantage on 81 minutes, but the linesman's flag cut short his celebrations.

The remainder of the contest would however belong to Blackburn, Westwood saving well from Armstrong before Lees stuck out a leg in the nick of time to deny a Rovers man a tap-in on the follow-up.

Paterson's last-ditch block would then prevent Dack from blasting home a second, as the bounce of the ball in some very dangerous areas twice went in Wednesday's favour during the latter stages, the home side continuing to turn the screw right up until the final whistle.

A point keeps the Owls second from bottom of the Championship standings.

Blackburn Rovers: Kaminski; Nyambe, Lenihan, Ayala, Douglas; Johnson (Downing 61), Holtby (Dack 61), Rothwell; Elliott, Gallagher (Brereton 61), Armstrong. Unused substitutes: Pears, Chapman, Bell, Davenport, Buckley, Dolan.

Sheffield Wednesday: Westwood; Palmer, Lees, Dunkley, Van Aken (Shaw 69), Odubajo; Reach (Harris 82), Pelupessy, Paterson, Bannan; Windass (Brown 87). Unused substitutes: Wildsmith, Penney, Dele-Bashiru, Rhodes, Hunt, Kachunga.

Referee: T Harrington (Cleveland).