Gary Hooper fires Sheffield Wednesday to win over Leeds
Gary Hooper's quickfire double secured Sheffield Wednesday a 2-0 win against Yorkshire rivals Leeds in the Sky Bet Championship.
On-loan striker Hooper, scheduled to return to parent club Norwich, signed off in style if this was his last match for Wednesday with two goals in three minutes early in the second half before being replaced late on to a standing ovation.
Leeds can have few complaints after slipping to back-to-back defeats, despite having a 78th-minute 'goal' from Liam Cooper controversially disallowed by referee Anthony Taylor.
There was no place in Leeds' squad for Sam Byram, destined for Merseyside after a reported B#3.7million bid was accepted this week from Everton, while Wednesday's third-choice goalkeeper Lewis Price made a rare start due to injuries to both Keiren Westwood and Joe Wildsmith.
Leeds were also without Chris Wood again, the striker missing his fourth game due to a hamstring problem, while Sam Hutchinson returned for Wednesday.
The home side worked the first opening in the seventh minute when Gary Hooper headed Leeds-born right-back Jack Hunt's cross off target and soon after Fernando Forestieri was muscled out following Barry Bannan's excellent ball in to the area.
But despite Wednesday's promising start Leeds should have taken a 13th-minute lead. Price stood tall to block Souleymane Doukara's close-range effort after initially parrying Stuart Dallas' angled low drive.
Leeds threatened again in the 36th minute through midfielder Lewis Cook, whose crisp low shot flashed past Price's right-hand post, while Forestieri's thumping effort was well held by Marco Silvestre.
Doukara's low 18-yard shot was gathered by Price after another Leeds counter-attack shortly before half-time.
After a goalless first period Wednesday appeared to have put the game beyond Leeds within five minutes of the restart.
Hooper scrambled the ball home from close range in the 47th minute despite the attentions of Leeds defenders Scott Wootton and Giuseppe Bellusci, following Forestieri's cutback, and the same combination contrived to put Wednesday two up three minutes later.
Silvestre failed to gather Forestieri's 20-yard shot and Hooper followed up the rebound to steer home his sixth goal in as many games.
Forestieri was inches away from making it 3-0 in the 64th minute with a rising 20-yard effort before Doukara crashed a shot just wide at the other end after being played in by Luke Murphy.
Leeds looked to have hauled themselves back into the game in the 78th minute when Cooper turned the ball home following substitute Alex Mowatt's free-kick.
But referee Taylor deemed Wednesday had not completed Forestieri's substitution before the free-kick was taken and after consulting with his linesman ordered it to be retaken.
Cooper almost scored from it anyway, his goalbound header at the far post cleared from under the crossbar by Wednesday defender Daniel Pudil, and from there on in the home side comfortably held on to their two-goal advantage.
Source: PA
