Sheffield Wednesday fell to a 2-0 defeat at the bet365 Stadium on Friday afternoon, with goals from Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Lamine Cisse enough to give Stoke City all three points.
On paper, it is another loss in a season that has had far too many of them. In truth, it was a game where Wednesday were in it for long spells, especially defensively in the first half, but once again lacked enough quality in the key moments at either end.
Stoke started on the front foot and looked the more comfortable side in possession early on. Bosun Lawal went close from distance as the hosts looked to turn their control into chances, while Wednesday set up to stay compact and make things difficult.
Henrik Pedersen’s side stayed organised, limited space well and got through the opening stages without too much damage. But the problem was what happened when Wednesday won it back. There was not enough bravery or composure in transition, and too often any potential counter attack broke down before it had the chance to build.
The breakthrough came on 32 minutes, and it was a sickener in the way it arrived.
At one end, Charlie McNeill forced Gavin Bazunu into a sharp save with a header. Moments later, Stoke broke quickly and Sorba Thomas produced the telling ball, picking out Rak-Sakyi, who kept his cool and finished beyond Pierce Charles.
Rak-Sakyi nearly had another before the break too, cutting inside and getting a shot away that Charles brilliantly pushed onto the post. It was an outstanding save, and one that kept Wednesday within touching distance heading into the second half.
To their credit, the Owls improved after the restart. Pedersen said afterwards that he felt he saw more of what had been worked on in training, and there were signs of that. Wednesday looked braver, more willing to play, and more competitive in the contest. But just as they were trying to grow into the game, Stoke landed the second blow.
Again, Thomas was heavily involved. His delivery found Eric-Junior Bocat, whose header was parried by Charles, only for the rebound to fall kindly for Cisse to tap home from close range in the 57th minute. At 2-0, the game felt like it was drifting away.
Stoke had chances to make it more comfortable, with Steven Nzonzi missing a good opening and Bae Jun-ho blazing over when he really should have scored. Wednesday, to their credit, kept going. Bazunu had to deny Olaf Kobacki late on, and Sean Fusire went close from distance as the visitors tried to find some route back into it.
The final score says Wednesday were comfortably beaten, and there is no arguing with the result. Stoke were more clinical, Sorba Thomas was the best player on the pitch, and Wednesday were once again left chasing the game.
But the numbers do add an interesting layer. Wednesday ended with more shots on target and more corners, which tells you they did have moments and were not completely overrun. The bigger issue was the same one we have seen too often this season: not enough quality when it mattered most.
And then there was the away end.
Despite everything, despite the defeat, despite the season, the travelling Wednesday supporters were outstanding from first minute to last. More than 3,200 made the trip and never stopped. Whatever is happening on the pitch, that support is operating on a different level entirely.
Honestly, the most impressive display of the afternoon came from the stands.
The lads put a shift in again, even if the result did not follow. But this fanbase is massive. Best in the country? Absolutely. Best in the world right now? Quite possibly.