Winless streak fails to dent Carlos Carvalhal's belief in Sheffield Wednesday squad

OPTIMISTIC: Sheffield Wednesday manager, Carlos Carvalhal. Picture: Steve Ellis.

Wednesday produced a gutsy display to claim a point at in-form Brighton on Tuesday and despite the draw extending their run without a win, Carvalhal felt the point was a positive one.

He said: “Brighton are a team in good shape, but we played like a team with fantastic teamwork and we fought like a team.

“All the teams have periods which are not so good in the competition.

“Not everything is perfect, but nothing in football is perfect all the time. But we believe in our players.”

It was a good night for West Yorkshire’s contingent with Leeds United and Huddersfield Town both triumphant with the Whites securing their first win at Cardiff City since 1984 in a 2-0 win.

Steve Evans tasted an away success and back-to-back league wins for the first time since just before Christmas – vanquishing bad memories of their previous road trip to Brighton.

“We learned a very harsh lesson at Brighton,” said Evans. “If we’d lost 1-0 or 2-1 it may have papered over things we had to address.

“But I’m so proud of the players. They deserve all the credit, not the head coach or the staff. Just them. What we’ve done is taken a 32-year-old record and blown it apart.

“I’m very proud of the reaction. This isn’t about the head coach. It’s about the players and the supporters – for every supporter who spent a penny going to Brighton, and I know they spend hundreds of pounds. You never forget those days. It sticks in your throat.”

Town, meanwhile, produced a powerhouse second-half to run out 3-1 winners over Reading. their first win in four matches with David Wagner revealing that a pep-talk helped reap its rewards with scorer Nakhi Wells.

On Wells, who took his tally to 15 for the season on a night when Flo Bojaj also netted his first for the club, Wagner said: “Nahki and I have known each other for four months now. I know his quality and that I can trust and believe in him.

“Yes he missed a couple of good opportunities. But at half-time I asked him does Messi take all his chances? Does Ibrahimovic use all his chances?

“Missing chances is not a problem as long as you keep doing the right things and don’t let your body language reflect your anger at missing.”