Massimo Luongo’s Sheffield Wednesday have taken a big step in their quest for promotion to the Premier League following an upset away win against Leeds United.
Luongo’s side leapt into the English Championship's playoff positions following an against-the-odds 2-0 away win over competition high-flyers Leeds in the Yorkshire derby.
The midfielder played 77 minutes as the Owls struck twice late in the contest at Elland Road to move themselves up to sixth position in league standings, while the result also sees Leeds slip from their position atop the table to second.
Leeds spurned the bulk of the chances in the match before the visitors came home with a head of steam – Jacob Murphy netting the opener in the 87th minute before Atdhe Nuhiu sealed the result in injury time.
The result was a textbook smash-and-grab for the Owls on the road, who only saw 33% of the possession throughout the match.
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Disappointment elsewhere in England
Also in the England’s north, Mat Ryan returned to the Brighton and Hove Albion starting line-up as they succumbed 1-0 away to a resurgent Everton.
Richarlison delivered the decisive blow in the first half for Carlo Ancelotti’s side after combining a pair of sharp touches in the box to create space with a pin-point finish in the 38th minute.
However, the result could’ve been worse for the Seagulls with VAR denying an early penalty shout for Everton’s Theo Walcott before also disallowing a late goal for handball by Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Brighton’s best chance came just prior to the hour mark when Leandro Trossard saw his strike cannon off the crossbar.
Aaron Mooy was ruled out of the match prior to kick-off with injury as Brighton now find themselves sitting 14th in the Premier League table.
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Elsewhere, the result also didn’t go the way of Hull City’s Jackson Irvine, who played 84 minutes for the Tigers in their 1-0 home defeat to Fulham.
Ivan Cavaleiro delivered the only goal of the game in the 24th minute with a well-placed strike outside the penalty area for the Cottagers.
The result marks a missed opportunity for the 11th-placed Hull, who could have moved into the playoff frame with victory.
At the other end of the Championship table, Kenny Dougall was an unused substitute as Barnsley received a boost in their quest to avoid relegation with a 2-1 win over Huddersfield.
While in League One, Harry Souttar’s Fleetwood Town continued their recent run of defeats after conceding late to fall 1-0 away to Burton Albion.
Big win for Giannou in Cyprus
Apostolos Giannou played the second half for AEK Larnaca in the Cypriot First Division as they came home with a wet sail to win 5-2 away to fellow mid-table side Ethnikos Acha.
The hosts seemed on target for a win with a two goal advantage at half-time before Larnaca responded with five unanswered second-half goals – led by a four goal haul from North Macedonian international Ivan Trichkovski.
The result sees Larnaca firm in their hold on seventh position in the competition standings.
Trent Sainsbury’s Maccabi Haifa steadied their push for honours in the Israeli Premier League with a 2-0 away win to Maccabi Netanya.
Fellow Aussie Nikita Rukavystya delivered Maccabi Haifa’s opener in the 56th minute at Netanya Stadium before Yuval Ashkenazi sealed the points ten minutes later.
The result sees the second-placed side stay in touch with league leaders Maccabi Tel Aviv, who won a mid-week thriller over Sainsbury’s side just days ago.
In Saudi Arabia, Craig Goodwin’s Al-Wehda side marked their return to action in the Saudi Pro League with a 3-1 defeat away to Al-Hilal.
The winger played 90 minutes for his side but could not provide the spark as his side let slip an early lead, courtesy of Brazilian midfielder Anselmo, at the King Saud University Stadium.
Bafetimbi Gomis was the hero for Al-Hilal with a goal in each half, while substitute Salah Al-Sherhi also chimed in for the hosts.
And on the home front...
Jamie Maclaren delivered an assist as he helped his Melbourne City side to a come-from-behind 2-2 draw with Brisbane Roar.
The attacker nodded down a floated ball into the box to tee up Craig Noone for his side's opening goal.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Duke was on the losing side of the equation for Western Sydney Wanderers as they fell 2-0 away to Wellington Phoenix in the Kiwi capital.
