LEESY DOES IT!
Desperate Owls are undone by dodgy own goal
Watford are still on track for an instant return to the Premier League but Sheffield Wednesday cursed their misfortune as they slipped further into the relegation mire.
Wednesday, without boss darren Moore following a positive Covid test, were certain the game’s only goal was offside — not once but twice.
It was scored in his own net by central defender tom Lees as he slid back to cut out a teasing cross from Ismaila Sarr and prevent it from reaching Isaac Success at the back post.
an offside flag went up immediately against Success but there is no Var in the EfL and referee Chris Kavanagh awarded the goal after consultation with his assistant dan Cook.
the protests were led by Lees, who thought Success must be interfering with play because he forced him into a split- second decision to attempt the interception and he seemed to have a strong case even before the Wednesday coaching staff realised Sarr might have been offside as well.
‘the first pass into Sarr looks offside,’ said assistant manager Jamie Smith. ‘then the cross is offside because if the guy wasn’t there Leesy wouldn’t have gone for it. If he doesn’t go for it the guy taps it in and he’s offside.’
Moore recorded a positive test on thursday morning and Smith became the sixth different person to take charge of Wednesday this season.
there have been four permanent managers: Moore, Garry Monk and tony Pulis, caretaker boss Neil thompson and andy Holdsworth who stepped in amid a previous Covid outbreak for an fa Cup tie at Exeter.
None of them have enjoyed a great deal of good fortune. they started the season with a six-point deduction and have rarely been out of the bottom three. With eight games left, the owls are still adrift and staring at a third dip into League one since relegation from the Premier League in 2000.
Watford, meanwhile, have hit a rich vein of form under Xisco Munoz, winning 10 out of 11 to secure themselves in the Championship’s automatic promotion places. they are within six points of leaders Norwich.
‘ I promise you we are very ambitious,’ said Xisco. ‘Everyone wants the best. We are working very hard. We are winning. We are cutting out the mistakes. But it is important to have humility and keep going with this same attitude until the final game. the first target is to guarantee a place in the play-offs.’
the Watford boss has a wealth of Premier League talent at his disposal including Sarr, the Senegal international winger who cost a club-record £35million and tormented Wednesday in the opening phases here.
He forced the goal in the seventh minute and, despite positive flickers from Wednesday, it is another loss.