Brentford 1 Sheff Weds 2: Fortune favours the Owls as Helan sees red

The Owls had made 10 changes from the side which beat Fulham in the Championship for the midweek League Cup win at Newcastle and Carvalhal again refreshed his team at Brentford where both sides were reduced to 10 men and the visitors won it with an 89th-minute strike.

Carvalhal said the football gods were smiling on his players at Griffin Park.

“It was our day. It was a lucky day. This is football. In the lottery we won 2-1. If we drew 1-1, we would say okay because we had a good first half with chances and they had a good second half with chances.”

The Bees were reduced to 10 men after the 36th minute sending off of centre-back James Tarkowski, who hauled down Atdhe Nuhiu before the striker dusted himself down to give the visitors the lead from the spot.

The Bees had dominated the second half and a second home win on the trot looked on the cards after winger Alan Judge had equalised on 76 minutes with a rasping angled drive just inside the far post.

Jeremy Helan then saw red for two bookable offences and the pendulum looked like it had swung back in the London club’s favour, until an awkward bounce caught out Tarkowski’s replacement Jack O’Connell and substitute Lucas Joao raced clear to draw goalkeeper David Button to coolly slot home from 12 yards.

Brentford: Button, Clarke (Canos 73), Dean, Tarkowski, Bidwell, McCormack (Woods 87), Diagouraga, Vibe, Kerschbaumer (O’Connell 41), Judge, Djuricin. Unused substitutes: Bonham, Yennaris, Barbet, Udumaga.

Sheffield Wednesday: Westwood, Hunt, Lees, Turner, Pudil (Helan 42), Lee, Hutchinson, Wallace, Marco Matias (Lucas Joao 63), Bannan, Nuhiu (Lopez 81). Unused substitutes: Loovens, McGugan, Bus, Wildsmith.

Referee: G Eltringham (Tyne & Wear).

Man of the match: Atdhe Nuhiu.