English Premier League - Game 12 - Sheffield Wednesday (Away)
Asensio comes back into the side after recovering from his latest injury. Fontaine is sidelined for the rest of the season so it’s good timing for our best winger to return, even if he’s still unhappy. Doebel shifts to the left flank. Jurcik is in for Süle, who is tired from international duty. Overachieving Sheffield Wednesday have a deadly strike force, who we will have to keep quiet today.
A missed header from Jurcik off a 3rd minute long ball saw Kuhl through on goal, but the defender recovered in time to block the shot and concede a corner, and prevent Dragowski having to do anything.
30 seconds later Dragowski made a low save after the cleared corner was crossed back in to Berahino.
In the 14th minute Asensio squared for Vietto just 6 or 7 yards out, but he couldn’t beat the keeper!
Fortunately he put to rest my concerns about his form in the 23rd minute, moving nicely onto a lovely Gitschier through ball, and slotting it into the bottom corner to open the scoring!
Just a minute later and Doebel absolutely scorched the defence, twisting and flashing past two defenders, before whipping a cross through the 6 yard box which Asensio volleyed into the roof of the net from a sharp angle! A goal on his injury return!
Sels produced a vital diving save to stop Vietto sealing the match for us in the 26th minute with a first time pop from the edge of the box.
The keeper once again came up big for Sheffield in the 32nd minute with an outstretched foot denying Doebel from close range.
In the 36th minute it really should have been three, as a scintillating counter attack featuring Doebel and Vietto culminated in Asensio teeing up Gitschier, but the German ballooned his effort over the bar.
A sensational ball from Wellington in the 38th minute split the defence for Vietto, but the Argentine’s shot flew wide with just Sels to beat.
In the 49th minute Vietto surged through the defence from Gitschier’s ball, but Sels made a diving stop and held the ball.
Finally, in the 62nd minute we had that elusive third goal, as Gitschier one-touched Wellington’s pass into the path of Vietto, who flashed his shot across Sels and into the far corner.
Wellington had a crack from range in the 69th minute and only the fingertips of the diving Sels denied him what would have been an absolute screamer.
We made a triple change in the 73rd minute, with Doebel, Chambers and Wellington departing, to be replaced by Jacobsen, Nishimura and Prins respectively.
Sels was still playing out of his skin though, and denied Vietto a hat trick from a point blank volley off Nishimura’s 85th minute cross.
Less than a minute later Wilson put a close range half-volley in off the post to deny us a clean sheet. Great ball from Lallana but quite frustrating.
We created almost a constant stream of chances today but their keeper did a fantastic job to keep them in it. Asensio was sensational upon his return and continues to demonstrate what a key player he is for the team. Gitschier was his world-class self, and the usual suspects of Dimarco and Vietto joined them near the top of the match ratings, with Wellington continuing his excellent form and getting amongst it as well. The young Brazilian has been a revelation in Ward-Prowse’s absence, and the captain will have a real fight on his hands to reclaim his place once he recovers from his injury. We’re now above Chelsea by a point, and their game in hand is at the Etihad so there’s no guarantee they’ll reclaim top spot later today. At the other end of the table, poor Norwich still haven’t recovered from the hiding we gave them back on matchday 3 when we rediscovered our form after a slow start.
POM: Moritz Gitschier (9.0, 0G, 2A)
8 months is a seriously long time