Sunderland

PAUL FRASER AT HILLSBOROUGH: The 23-year-old powered in an unstoppable drive after an uneventful start at Hillsborough. And he laid on the Owls' second for ...

If anything Sheffield Wednesday could have extended the lead when they burst through late on. But when the former Manchester City man’s free-kick didn’t find its target soon after that he was replaced by academy graduate Caden Kelly in the closing stages. Roberts’ attempts to run at the home defence was a slight source of concern for Wednesday in the closing stages.

Sheffield Wednesday ended Sunderland's 18-game unbeaten run with a 2-0 triumph at Hillsborough while Barnsley dumped out Middlesbrough 1-0 in the Carabao ...

Andreas Weimann wrapped things up deep into stoppage time after Jamie Allen had got one back for the hosts after 62 minutes. “Those boys who have got the chance today have been patient, have been waiting, and I think it was an excellent performance. The Wednesday manager, Darren Moore, praised Adeniran’s explosive return after seven months out with a hamstring injury. The former Fulham and Everton midfielder was encouraged to shoot by home fans after the ball fell to him 30 yards from goal following Liam Palmer’s cleared cross and he obliged with a screamer that rocketed into Alex Bass’s top right-hand corner. An excellent performance from the youngsters.” The result represented a small measure of revenge for Darren Moore’s men after last season’s playoff semi-final defeat against the Black Cats. The win sets up a home tie with Rochdale in the second round.

All of the marks out of 10 for Darren Moore's Sheffield Wednesday side after their 2-0 win over Sunderland in the Carabao Cup.

Put in a huge shift in the middle. Put in plenty of crosses into the box and had a huge hand in Adeniran's goal of the season contender. Kept things ticking over in the centre and cleared things up nicely in front of the back three. Led the line intelligently and caused Sunderland problems. Did a solid job for the team and used the ball well at times. Came off his line on a couple of occasions to sweep up and take cross.

In a match where the result didn't matter a jot, Alex Neil was reminded that his squad is short on numbers - but there were some bright signs...

Who that is is anyone’s guess but it’s not likely an incoming will be before the end of the window, or on anything else except a loan basis. We do not know what Neil’s plans for him are yet, and while he could find himself out on loan, there is nothing to suggest that a right back should be top of Sunderland’s shopping list. Without a doubt if Sunderland had a third striker on their books he would have played tonight. There is no doubt that a cup run right now with the squad depth Alex Neil has at his disposal would not be a welcome thing. Hume, meanwhile, showed himself to be capable in both attack and defence. However, the objective is to play well and win.

Sunderland boss Alex Neil reacts to the Black Cats Carabao Cup exit at Sheffield Wednesday.

Some of the lads that played tonight will have a massive bearing on what our season looks like, so I'm not going to judge them too harshly." What I want is to get to the end of the window with the strongest squad possible, and every manager will be thinking exactly the same. "Albeit the goals came from mistakes, other than that I thought we were quite solid and they didn't create too many chances - they were mainly from transition and countering. We had Jack up there on his own and we lacked a threat in the game. I thought thse lads deserved their opportunity as well, but we know we can move the ball better." Sunderland lost possession in the run up to the opening goal on the quarter-hour, with Dennis Adeniran scoring with a stunning strike.

Fans might have happy memories of semi-final successes at Hillsborough in 1973, 1992 and of course earlier in 2022, but if you put all that to one side ...

Whilst there is no shame in conceding such a well hit goal from Dennis Adeniran, the second from Sylla Sow was the result of yet more lackadaisical play. This is a trend that is becoming more common in the game, where teams are happy to let the opposition keep the ball if they are not doing anything with it. The unfamiliar partnerships and lack of a traditional focal point up front were compounded by a string of poor passes and sloppy decisions, and even though the hosts had gone ahead with a quality strike it did nothing to spark Sunderland into life.

Championship new boys Sunderland bowed out of the Carabao Cup after losing 2-0 at Sheffield Wednesday in the first round of the competition at Hillsborough ...

"Some of the lads applied themselves well. “I'm disappointed because I felt we were mostly the makes of our own downfall,” said Neil. “When we're playing, Jack is up there on his own so we lacked a threat.

Presenter Mark Chapman and pundits Micky Gray and Clinton Morrison discussed Alex Neil's start to life at Sunderland ahead of the Carabao Cup X to Sheffield ...

He had absolutely nothing left, his energy levels were completely gone but he just found that moment to stick the ball in the back of the net. MG: Absolutely, I think he's got a wonderful left foot. He certainly needed a reaction because the away performances weren't great at the time. This is a big club, we all kept saying they're too big to be in League One. Sunderland legend Micky Gray and pundit Clinton Morrison have praised Alex Neil's start to life at Sunderland and given their verdicts on the club's transfer business so far as well as their promotion prospects. Here is everything presenter Mark Chapman, Black Cats legend Micky Gray and pundit Clinton Morrison had to say ahead of kick-off at Hillsborough.