Stoke City 2 Sheffield Wednesday 0
Sheffield Wednesday won the shouting match, Stoke City won through to the Capital One Cup semi-finals. While the Championship side were giving a good account of themselves until Phil Bardsley settled the matter with a free-kick from 20 yards out, their supporters in a packed visitors' end were doing even better, keeping up a constant claim that Wednesday were on their way back. With only one defeat in 14 games prior to this match they might be, though not on their way to Wembley.
Stoke have the final in their sights instead, before Wednesday's last-four draw, and the Premier League side deserved it, even if the locals were a little miffed to be out-sung at their own ground. "You're not singing any more" was the mildly churlish response to Bardsley making the game safe.
Wednesday set up the first decent chance of the night midway through the first half, after Marko Arnautovic dozily allowed himself to be dispossessed with Stoke pressing forward on the attack. Keiran Lee went racing down the right and sent over a cross that arrived at an awkward height for Gary Hooper, who should nevertheless have made better contact with his attempted volley in front of goal.
Stoke had had to reconfigure their attack by that stage, Peter Crouch limping off with a hamstring injury to be replaced by Joselu after only 12 minutes, and when the substitute was fouled by Sam Hutchinson just outside the area, Arnautovic sent the free-kick harmlessly over with Joe Wildsmith still to be tested after almost half an hour's play.
It turned out Stoke were merely lulling their opponents into a false sense of security however, for the Wednesday goalkeeper suddenly found himself very busy as the half-hour stage was reached. First he had to dive low to his right to keep out a long shot from Marco van Ginkel after a marvellous piece of skill from Joselu had helped open up the visitors, then he was beaten by an unerring finish from Ibrahim Afellay as the Holland midfielder registered his first Stoke goal.
Once again Joselu was involved, sending a deep cross over from the right that would have eluded everyone in the area but for Afellay shrewdly biding his time to steal in late and score with a crisp first-time volley.
Jon Walters had a chance to extend the lead before the interval but could not quite reach an Erik Pieters cross from the left, then Wednesday were fortunate to get away with a sloppy backpass that almost let in Joselu.
Daniel Pudil was the guilty party, perhaps not quite up to speed after only arriving as a substitute for Tom Lees moments earlier, and though Joselu was alert to the opportunity and quick to chase the underhit ball, Wildsmith was even quicker in leaving his line to clear the danger.
With Wednesday staying in their own half for most of the rest of the first half there seemed little possibility of another Arsenal-type upset by the break. Wednesday had beaten them in the previous round. Stoke were creating all the chances, and might have been further ahead but for a tendency to over-elaborate.
Wednesday had a brief chance at the start of the second half, when Hooper’s shot was deflected just wide for a corner, then Stoke set up an even more promising opening when Geoff Cameron broke up an attack in his own half and carried the ball across the halfway line.
Joselu ended up with a shooting opportunity but found Wildsmith equal to his effort, then as the ball rebounded from the goalkeeper Afellay tried his luck with a first-time shot at an unguarded net. He kept his attempt low and on target but was denied by an athletic block from Modou Sougou, appearing from nowhere to get his body between the ball and the goal.
The match was less one-sided in the second half, with Wednesday showing more attacking initiative. While they did not bother Jack Butland unduly they were more adventurous and won a couple of corners, one of which was collected at the far post by Pudil and despite being returned more in hope than expectation, still counted as a near miss that the goalkeeper was relieved to see fly a couple of feet wide.
That let-off only encouraged Stoke to step up their efforts to ensure victory, and Bardsley clearly fancied trying his luck when they were awarded a free-kick straight in front of goal but just beyond the D. Van Ginkel nudged the ball in his direction, after a couple of false starts, and the substitute drove the ball low through the wall and in off Wildsmith’s right-hand post.
It was not the best organised of walls, in truth, though Bardsley’s accuracy could not be faulted.
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