Hull vs. Sheffield Wednesday: Score, Reaction from Championship Playoff Final
Hull City achieved promotion to the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday in the playoff final at Wembley on Saturday.
Mohamed Diame scored the only goal of the game after 72 minutes with a superb long-range strike. The victory, which ensured Hull's move back to the top flight of English football, is worth £110 million, according to experts at Deloitte's Sports Business Group, per Sky Sports.
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Steve Bruce elected to stay with the same XI that lost 2-0 to Derby County in the second leg of their playoff semi-final, while Carlos Carvalhal made one change to his side, replacing Alex Lopez with Sam Hutchinson in the heart of the Owls' midfield.
Soccer AM's Twitter account captured the atmosphere ahead of kick-off:
Former Norwich City midfielder Darren Eadie was less than impressed with the limited number of Hull City supporters who made the trip south:
The match began at a zesty tempo in the English capital, with both sides well-aware of the prize at stake should they achieve a positive result.
Former Tottenham midfielder Tom Huddlestone was the first player to pin an effort on target. He stung the fingertips of Wednesday's Keiren Westwood, but the talented shot-stopper turned his effort around the post.
Creative force Fernando Forestieri bent a free-kick toward the top corner from an acute angle that Swiss goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic did well to turn over. Ross Wallace then peppered the Hull net with a set piece of his own, which the Tigers defence scrambled clear.
Times chief football writer Henry Winter made light of the goalkeeper's decision to punch rather than catch:
After a flurry of early opportunities, the match began to settle into the cagey encounter that was expected ahead of kick-off, with Wednesday enjoying more of the possession in the central areas of midfield.
However, with 30 minutes on the clock, Hull ramped up their pressure in their pursuit to secure a place in the top tier of English football. Kieran Lee hacked Abel Hernandez's guided header from a Robert Snodgrass corner off the goal line, and Michael Dawson was unable to poke the loose ball into the net.
Immediately after, Dawson almost let Forestieri in at the other end of the field with a mistake on the edge of his own area, but the Italian could only strike wide of the target.
Bruce's men continued to inflict pressure on the Wednesday back line, forcing Westwood into a superb reaction save from the Uruguay international Hernandez. The Copa America-bound striker collected Diame's through ball and raced toward goal but saw his toe poke tipped around the post at point-blank range.
The Football League detailed the action as Westwood denied Hernandez:
With five minutes remaining in the first period, Diame transformed from provider to leader. Embarking on a mazy dribble from just inside the Wednesday territory, the Senegal international jinxed his way into the area and let fly from 18 yards from goal, thundering a shot across the left upright that rebounded away from danger.
OptaJoe provided the stats after an enthralling opening 45 minutes, which saw the sides enter the break level:
Capital FM Yorkshire provided photographs of the action:
Hull City highlighted their performance in the first half:
The Tigers continued their positive intent following the interval, as Westwood again produced the heroics to keep his sheet clean. A deep ball into the area found ex-Spurs skipper Dawson unmarked at the back post, but the former Coventry City stopper quickly closed down and deflected the strike.
Andrew Robertson then missed the best chance of the match for Hull straight from a Wednesday free-kick. Moses Odubajo collected a long pass down the right flank before sending a perfectly weighted ball toward the full-back inside the area. Free inside the box, Robertson could only sky his first-time shot above the crossbar.
The official Championship account acknowledged the magnitude of the chance missed:
With 18 minutes to play in the final, Diame finally broke the deadlock for Hull with a sublime effort from 25 yards out.
Collecting the ball from Snodgrass in a central area, the midfielder produced a magnificent curling shot that bent under the crossbar and over the outstretched hand of the beaten Westwood.
Football statistician Goodbrand Stats shared the figures behind Diame's 2015-16 campaign:
WhoScored.com, meanwhile, highlighted the Senegalese's career-best goal-scoring season:
The goal appeared to settle any nerves among the Hull players, as they enjoyed a fine spell of possession, tormenting the Wednesday supporters as the clock continued to tick down.
Carvalhal threw on Atdhe Nuhiu and Joao to end the contest with four strikers on the field, but the Owls were unable to recover the deficit. As a result, Hull returned to the Premier League at the first attempt following last season's relegation.
Bruce will be delighted to lead his side back to the coveted division following last year's disappointment. He inspired the Humberside outfit to return to the top tier with good recruitment, a solid English base and a wealth of experience.
Post-Match Reaction
Bruce hailed Diame's winning strike, admitting he was concerned Hull would be left to rue wasted opportunities earlier in the game.
Per the BBC, the former Sunderland and Wigan Athletic manager said: "The goal was a wonder goal that would have graced any cup final. Up until then, I thought we'd missed some glorious chances but Mo has produced that little bit of magic.
"It's been a long five or six weeks since we realised we couldn't achieve automatic promotion. Overall, I think we've deserved to win from the chances we've created."
With the final whistle still ringing in his ears, Bruce had already turned his attention toward the 2016-17 campaign, acknowledging the need to use money effectively.
"We know we've got to be at our maximum (next season). We'll see what we can do and get ready for that challenge," he said, per the BBC.
"We've got a month before we start and then we'll have to look at budgets, but even when you've got money, you've got to use it wisely."
Sky Sports Statto detailed Bruce's achievement after improving his impressive Championship record:
On the opposing side of the dugout, Carvalhal said Hull were worthy winners.
He told the BBC: "I think Hull deserved to win the game, they were better than us in this game. But we know we can play better than that. We tried to do our best, we tried to play our football.
"Hull, with one moment of quality, have decided the game. It was always going to be that way in this game. We have an experienced team but we didn't play the way we usually do and we didn't create too many problems defensively for Hull."
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