VICTORY LEAVES MOORE MERRIER
Five-star showing boosts sick manager
DARREN MOORE was given a huge tonic as Sheffield Wednesday destroyed Cardiff to give their survival hopes a massive boost.
The Owls manager missed a second successive game as he self-isolated with coronavirus.
But a brilliant five-goal display would have lifted Moore’s spirits as he watched the game on television at home.
Wycombe’s victory yesterday meant Wednesday were bottom and the Championship’s lowest scorers going into the late game.
But a stunning display lifted them within six points of safety.
Assistant manager Jamie Smith, standing in for Moore, was beaming afterwards as he said: “It was an outstanding performance and survival is very achievable.
“There are still seven games to go and we will continue to fight for every single point.
“There’s a lot of quality in that dressing room and we saw that today. There were some great goals and finishes but it was not a surprise to us as we see it in training.
“I spoke to Darren postmatch and he feels a bit better. We’ve been in regular contact via Zoom and the phone.”
There has been talk that Wednesday are too bad to stay up but against Cardiff they looked too good to go down.
Julian Borner headed home powerfully after four minutes from the outstanding Barry Bannan’s outswinging corner.
Then Liam Palmer’s brilliant cross was expertly volleyed home from 12 yards by former Cardiff favourite Callum Paterson after 20 minutes.
Three minutes later, Adam Reach curled a brilliant left-foot strike into the top corner from a well-worked free-kick.
Cardiff had not lost away from home since manager Mick McCarthy was appointed at the end of January, but their firsthalf surrender was a huge blow to their play-off hopes.
McCarthy admitted: “What went wrong? Everything.
“Their second was an amazing goal and I almost had to applaud it myself, even though it made me feel sick.”
The Bluebirds improved after the break but Jordan Rhodes superbly swept home a cross from Paterson to make it 4-0 in the 65th minute before Reach grabbed his second just four minutes later.
Asked if his side, eight points off the play-offs, could still make it, McCarthy said: “It doesn’t feel like it after the slapping that we’ve had.” SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY (3-5-2): Wildsmith 6; Urhoghide 7, Lees 7, Borner 7; Palmer 7, Bannan 9 (Shaw 90), Paterson 7, Hutchinson 7 (Pelupessy 82), Reach 8; Rhodes 7 (Green 82), Windass 7 (Kachunga 81). Goals: Borner 4, Paterson 20, Reach 23, 69, Rhodes 65.
CARDIFF (3-4-2-1): Phillips 6; Nelson 5, Flint 5, Brown 5; Sang 6, Pack 6, Vaulks 6, Ralls 6; Bacuna 6 (Ojo 72), Williams 6 (Wilson 71); Moore 5 (Watters 72).