Brentford beat Championship side Sheffield Wednesday 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes of the EFL Cup fourth-round tie.

Thomas Frank's Premier League side went a goal ahead initially through forward Kevin Schade, but were unable to extend their lead, with Wednesday giving as good as they got despite having less of the ball.

Danny Rohl's visitors got themselves level 12 minutes into the second half through a lovely long-range Djeidi Gassama strike following an error by Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

With no winner forthcoming, the tie went to penalties. Nine perfect efforts followed before Liam Palmer saw the 10th and decisive spot kick saved by Flekken, booking the Bees' place in the last eight.

Elsewhere, Southampton beat Stoke 3-2 to secure more Premier League representation in the quarter-finals, but needed an 88th-minute winner to do so after letting a two-goal lead slip.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis and an Adam Armstrong penalty had the home side in control after 35 minutes. However, just before half-time, Ashley Phillips halved the deficit with a wonderful improvised finish after a scramble from a set-piece.

Tom Cannon levelled things up nine minutes into the second half and the Championship side nearly won it late on, as a ricocheted effort bobbled off Aaron Ramsdale, but was cleared before it reached the goal.

Almost immediately, the Saints carried the ball up the field and James Bree swept home the winner from outside the box.

Norwich City climbed to within one place of the Championship play-off spots following a 3-2 victory away at Derby County and a hat-trick from Borja Sainz.

The result ended a run of nine straight home wins in the league for Derby, and it was the first time they have been beaten at Pride Park since February. Norwich, meanwhile, have now won three of their last four matches.

Norwich took the lead in the first half through Sainz in controversial circumstances, with the ball looking as if it had gone out of play during the build-up to the goal.

But Derby would not go down without a fight, equalising through Craig Forsyth on his 300th career appearance, as he fired past Angus Gunn from eight yards.

Just five minutes later, Norwich were back in front with Sainz hitting a bouncing ball from outside of the box and the Spaniard secured his hat-trick with another three minutes from time.

Derby got one back in stoppage time through Corey Blackett-Taylor, but were unable to force an equaliser.

Elsewhere, Sheffield Wednesday beat league leaders West Bromwich Albion 3-2 at Hillsborough to win for the first time in the league since the opening day.

Danny Rohl’s side were one up after nine minutes, with Darnell Furlong deflecting Marvin Johnson's effort past his goalkeeper. Josh Windass doubled their lead in the 23rd minute.

The Baggies got back into it after the hour, with Josh Maja heading in from a deep cross for his seventh goal of the season, and substitute Alex Mowatt dragged them level in the 84th minute.

But two minutes later, Anthony Musaba put Wednesday back in front for a lead they would maintain for the remainder of the match. The hosts climb to 16th, two points above the bottom three.

Blackburn Rovers maintained their 100% home record in the league with a 2-0 victory over QPR, who had Jonathan Varane, the half-brother of former Real Madrid and Manchester United defender Raphael Varane, sent off in first-half stoppage time for a late lunge on Danny Batth.

John Eustace's side struck twice in the second half to ensure their strong form rolled on.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl was disappointed with his side’s failure to win after taking the lead as they had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Stoke.

Liam Palmer gave the home side a 68th-minute lead before substitute Luke Cundle equalised in the 76th minute.

Rohl said: “I think today is hard to take. We dominate the whole game with so many chances. I think after 10 minutes we have to lead two or three-nil.

“At the moment a draw is not helpful for us, so it’s hard to take today. But then next week we have to go again. I have to lift my players. The good thing is it’s just one point behind.

“It’s football. I think we showed a good performance but all in all it’s about results and even at home at the moment we have just three draws and in our situation it’s not enough to make the step. Now we can try in three more games, nine points to take and this will be what we will try.

“I don’t know what Stoke thought about the game. I think they know how strong we are at home, they know how we play. We were on the front foot, we created a lot of chances. And then they have the momentum and they use one more chance.

“But now we have two ways. We can be disappointed and take it to the next week, to the next game. Or we say, no, we do it again, we lift us and we try it again and this is what we have to do.

“I know today it’s hard to say, but this is what I will do.”

Stoke boss Steven Schumacher believes the point gained by his team could be vital.

He said: “We planned to come under the cosh. Obviously we didn’t want to be under as much pressure as we were, but credit to them. They started the game really well.

“The crowd was behind them, they had loads of crosses into the box, loads of corners and we’ve defended them really well. We’ve needed the goalkeeper. Daniel (Iversen) made a brilliant save, they hit the bar as well in that spell but we got through it and got stronger as the half went on.

“At half-time we spoke about just trying to close the distances a little bit better and try and get them under a bit more pressure, which I felt we did.

“And then we fell behind, we showed brilliant character again, changed the shape and got our fresh legs into the game when there was a bit more space and fully deserved to get something from the game. It could be a massive point.”

Norwich boss David Wagner insisted his side were “not ruthless” enough as he saw them blow a two-goal first-half lead to draw 2-2 in the Championship with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

Norwich hit the front in the 11th minute when Josh Sargent tapped in at the back post and doubled their lead five minutes later when they were gifted the ball outside the box which allowed Borja Sainz to stroke it into the bottom corner.

Danny Rohl made four substitutions at the break but his Owls side missed further chances before Michael Ihiekwe’s header gave Wednesday the belief before Michael Smith nodded home with five minutes to go to rescue a much-needed point in their relegation battle as they marked their 5,000th league match.

Wagner was frustrated with his side’s inability to kill the game after and put themselves in a commanding position to strengthen their play-off bid.

He told a press conference: “We have done everything super well, we looked sharp in ball possession and out of ball possession but we didn’t kill the game.

“We were not ruthless inside the opponent’s box, we had a lot of clear-cut chances and obviously this at the end of the day has shown why we have not won the game.

“Today we have put the hard work in to collect three points but haven’t done because we could not kill the game. Especially when a team is so direct with set-pieces something can happen.

“We have not made use of our chances, this is what frustrates us and the performance the players have shown on the pitch, the commitment is good.”

The point for Norwich gives them a five-point cushion inside the play-offs but Wagner thinks his side have dropped two points from a good performance.

He added: “I would have liked to have six points (from Ipswich and Sheff Wed) after you have seen the two performances.

“But in football, you don’t always get what you wish, you get what you earn and today we only got one because we weren’t ruthless.

“We have to be more ruthless, this is what hurts. How we played, how we defended was good.”

Wednesday remain in the relegation zone only on goal difference after the draw and Rohl hailed his side’s togetherness to fight back and claim a point.

He said: “We showed again our togetherness. Not many people thought we would come back and take something but we did.

“Second half we played better, the stadium was behind us and created energy and this showed what we need in our situation.

“Today we take the point and now we have to go again Saturday. If we are over the line on the last matchday everyone will take it.

“We keep coming back and today we came back from 2-0 down, today we showed we can do this against a strong Norwich side.

“I’m happy with the point. Not happy with the first half but one key point.”

Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl felt his “bold decision” to make major changes for the 2-0 win over fellow strugglers QPR paid off.

Goals from Djeidi Gassama and Anthony Musaba gave the second-from-bottom Owls a vital victory at Loftus Road in their battle against relegation from the Sky Bet Championship.

Rohl made five changes to his side in the wake of Monday’s defeat at Middlesbrough.

He said: “We changed a lot. For me it was clear after the Middlesbrough game that we could not just continue and hope something changes.

“I think some people will be surprised to see all these changes. It was a bold decision from my side. I cannot just continue and hope. I want to see a reaction and I saw a reaction.”

Wednesday failed to win any of their first 13 league matches of the season but their improvement since Rohl took over in October has given them a fighting chance of staying up.

The German said: “We played very well and did well as a team. I’m very happy. There are five games to go and we have a chance.

“Everybody was ready for this fight and that is our job. Do it – and do it until the end.

“My job and the players’ job is that we have a big party at the end of the season. Keep going and we have a big party at the end.

“It is our job and this is what I demand. With the right mindset and attitude we can do it.”

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes blamed himself for his side’s defeat.

He said: “I’m very disappointed but especially with myself. When I look at the performance, I didn’t prepare the team well enough for the kind of game that I knew it would be.

“We were not good at all. It was a bad performance. I’m disappointed not only about the result but about the game and the (lack of) quality we showed. It’s a very disappointing day.

“I take responsibility for this defeat. One result will not change my confidence in the players.”

But Cifuentes also suggested Rangers had perhaps been guilty of some complacency after recent back-to-back wins took them six points clear of the relegation zone and seemingly close to safety.

The loss leaves them just four points clear of the bottom three and very much still in trouble.

Cifuentes added: “That’s always the danger – not only in football but as human beings. Sometimes we tend to relax and those moments are very dangerous.

“When you think you are doing so well, suddenly football always gives you the reality that if you are not at 110% it’s very difficult.

“We tried during the whole week to let them understand this was a very difficult game – probably the most difficult game of the season.

“It looked like Sheffield Wednesday were playing for their lives and unfortunately I was not good enough to convince my players we needed that kind of intensity.”

Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl said his side were not ruthless enough at both ends of the pitch as they drew 1-1 with Swansea at Hillsborough on Good Friday.

Jamal Lowe’s second-half goal cancelled out Bailey Cadamarteri’s opener and the Owls missed several golden opportunities in the second half to win the game. The point sees them remain in the relegation zone.

Rohl said: “We will take the point. In our situation every point is important. We are disappointed because in the second half we created so many chances.

“We conceded, for me, what was a goal too easily given away from the corner. This week we spoke about getting the basics right and running for each other. I feel we did this today and if we continue like this we give ourselves a big chance.

“There was a handball for Swansea’s equaliser and it was a clear foul on Ike (Ugbo) so we should have had a penalty. This is disappointing but we will not use it as an excuse. We weren’t ruthless enough in both boxes.

“We went right until the end to try and get a winner. The atmosphere was fantastic, the fans really pushed us on the pitch and I think we should take the positives from this game.

“If someone had told me in September we would be this close to getting over the line I would take it. We are close because of how well we have done in the last weeks.

“It’s frustrating we haven’t come away with the win but now we’re only in the bottom three on goal difference. On Monday we have another big game at Middlesbrough and we will be going there to win.”

Swansea manager Luke Williams said he knows his players have enough to stay in the Championship but they must show more consistency.

Williams said: “In the first half I thought we controlled the game quite well. Our intensity was excellent.

“We created anxiety for Wednesday and their fans but we didn’t really make enough clean actions to score a goal.

“It’s frustrating to concede from a set-piece. I don’t like to talk about referees but Ronald was wrongly called offside in a promising position for us which led to the free-kick for their goal.

“The second half was like a basketball game. We wanted to try and win – we didn’t want to just settle for a point so it was end to end.

“In the last 20 minutes they caused us many problems which got the crowd up and we struggled to cope. I’d have preferred three but I’m happy with a point.

“I’ve got no problem with the effort from the players at all. We just weren’t able to impose ourselves on the game for long enough to get the victory.

“I know we have enough to stay in the division, I’m more concerned about the level of consistent performance. I want the fans who’ve travelled a long way to see we’re making progress.

“We’re not looking over our shoulders, we’re in a decent place. We got a point at Watford and now here and these are difficult places to go. Now we look ahead to QPR on Monday where we have a huge responsibility to make it enjoyable for our fans.”

Sheffield Wednesday head coach Danny Rohl will celebrate his side’s 1-0 home win against Plymouth by de-briefing with former boss Hansi Flick.

Former Germany boss Flick was at Hillsborough to see Djeidi Gassama score a second-half winner to give Rohl’s relegation battlers real momentum.

Rohl, who worked as Flick’s assistant at Bayern Munich as well as with the Germany national team, has guided the Owls to five wins in their last six Sky Bet Championship matches and to within sight of safety.

“Yesterday we had dinner together,” Rohl said. “It was nice to see him again after five months and we spoke just now and he will come in my room.

“It’s good to have him here. When you have been assistant coach to him it’s good to show him you can do it. It’s fantastic. He’s a good guy.

“You can speak about the football side and speak about the private side and this is helpful.”

Wednesday remain in the bottom three, but having been there since the second game of the season only goal difference now separates them from the two sides immediately above the drop zone – Huddersfield and QPR.

Rohl said: “In the last few weeks we’ve invested a lot of things to come to this point now. We come closer. We’ve closed the gap and it’s an unbelievable race at the bottom of the table, maybe eight or nine teams around us.”

Next up for Wednesday is the visit to Hillsborough of Yorkshire rivals Leeds on Friday and Rohl is relishing the prospect of giving Owls fans more to cheer.

Rohl added: “This is the outcome from the last few weeks and I hope we can recover for a big game on Friday. I hope we are sold out and everybody comes to push us forward.

“We have to really enjoy it. It is my wish on Friday we have a great atmosphere and this power from the stands to the pitch and from the pitch to the stands. It could be massive on Friday.”

Plymouth remain in 16th place, but sit just two points above the Owls after slipping to their fifth defeat in seven league games.

Ian Foster’s side rallied after going behind to Gassama’s 60th-minute strike, but failed to create any clear-cut chances.

Foster said: “Our reaction is one of bitter disappointment. We didn’t feel it was a game we ought to have lost.

“It’s really unfortunate the manner of the goal – Adam (Randell) has made an honest mistake, he should have cleared his lines and unfortunately for Adam he slipped over and they’ve scored on the transition.

“It’s bitterly disappointing for us. Second half I thought the team were perfect in terms of their approach, I thought we bossed the second half and I can’t believe that we’ve come away having lost the game.”

Sheffield Wednesday’s survival bid gathered further momentum as Djeidi Gassama’s second-half strike clinched a 1-0 home win over Plymouth.

Gassama steered home the only goal in the 60th minute to secure the Owls a fifth win in their last six league matches and they remain in the bottom three only on goal difference.

Danny Rohl’s in-form side launched a concerted effort to rescue their season last month and they climbed to within two points of Plymouth, who stay 16th despite slipping to a fifth defeat in their last seven.

Morgan Whittaker rifled an early chance for Plymouth over the crossbar, but Wednesday were soon into their stride and Conor Hazard knew little about Ike Ugbo’s close-range effort, which the visiting goalkeeper saved with his chest.

The Owls thought they had taken a 20th-minute lead, but on-loan Leeds winger Ian Poveda was ruled offside when he turned home Pol Valentin’s cross at the end of a free-flowing move.

Mickel Miller’s angled shot forced Owls goalkeeper James Beadle into his first save, but the home side went on to dominate the first half, albeit without a cutting edge.

Valentin, twice, and Poveda both had shots blocked as confident Wednesday played with purpose and cohesion, but the breakthrough goal their play deserved eluded them.

Barry Bannan’s withdrawal during the interval was a major blow. The little playmaker took a bang to the head at the end of the first period and was replaced by Momo Diaby.

But Wednesday remained on the front foot and took a deserved lead in the 60th minute.

Ugbo wriggled to the by-line and cut the ball back for Gassama, whose first time shot found the bottom corner despite Hazard getting his palm to it.

Whittaker’s 20-yard drive was comfortably saved by Beadle and at the other end Gassama lashed another fierce effort wide before Plymouth roused themselves and pushed for an equaliser.

Jordan Houghton and Whittaker both had shots from inside the area blocked during a frantic scramble.

Argyle substitute Mustapha Bundu fired wide from inside the area and two more efforts struck defenders in a crowded box as the Owls dug deep and held on for a deserved three points.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl feels his team’s hunger is powering their form and it helped them to beat relegation rivals Rotherham 1-0.

Ike Ugbo netted his sixth goal in five matches to hand Wednesday a valuable win in their relegation battle, taking them three points from safety and leaving Rotherham 19 points adrift at the bottom.

The Owls have now won three games on the bounce and continue to pile the pressure on the teams above them.

Rohl said: “It was a big one. I am very proud of my team at the moment. It is outstanding what they are doing.

“Everybody knows Rotherham are always difficult with the second balls and set-plays.

“At half-time I said it was great what we were doing. But we had to score with the next chance.

“It was a big impact from our subs. A draw was not enough. I had to change the shape and we scored immediately. Then it was about bringing the game home.

“Our defending at the moment is great to see. We are finding a balance between playing nice football and making the right steps.

“Rotherham did not really have a big chance. It was always about us. At the moment we are bringing the games home.

“The performances from my team are outstanding. The mentality we have – everybody is hungry and I am very proud of what we are doing.

“We are the hunter at the moment and we have the momentum.”

Rotherham weathered a storm throughout the first half with Wednesday coming close a number of times.

The visitors thought they had struck when Akin Famewo headed in Will Vaulks’ free-kick but it was ruled out for offside.

Wingers Ian Poveda and Anthony Musaba posed most of the danger themselves and both came close after cutting in off their flanks.

Rotherham threatened properly for the first time early in the second period when Sam Nombe’s effort glided just over the bar.

Wednesday built patiently for their opener and got it in the 66th minute with a flowing team move.

Barry Bannan and Ugbo were both involved before Dominic Iorfa picked out the in-form striker to stroke home.

Bannan was then pivotal at the other end as he got a desperate block on Andy Rinomhota’s effort to prevent a leveller.

It was actually Wednesday looking more likely in stoppage time and substitute Mallik Wilks’ header rattled off the post from Marvin Johnson’s cross.

Rotherham head coach Leam Richardson said: “It was frustrating and I am gutted for the fans really. In a derby you want to give a strong positive result for them.

“The lads got emotionally attached to the game a little bit.

“The second half was evenly balanced but the goal is horrendous from our point of view. They’re all avoidable but it takes the same pattern at the minute where we are competitive to a level but then we are looking for that quality and momentum to go our way.

“We are very fix and mend at the minute with players playing out of position. There is disparity in the squad. We are limited in a lot of areas and we have six players on the bench.

“Whatever we lack in certain areas it’s not a will to win. Our levels seem to drop after 60-70 minutes.”

Leicester manager Enzo Maresca refuses to accept that his side are all-but promoted.

A 2-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday at King Power Stadium moved the Foxes 14 points clear of third-placed Southampton.

It looks to be only a matter of time before Maresca’s side confirm their return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

But the Italian coach does not see it that way and warned his players against complacency over the next stage of the season.

“If any of my players show a drop, I will change them, even after two minutes,” he said.

“They won’t play. We aren’t changing anything, we have to keep winning and we have to respect our opponents.

“I’m very happy with this win, but now the focus moves on to Saturday when we play Middlesbrough.

“We struggled a little when they changed shape in the second half, but after about 15 or 20 minutes we were OK.

“But I wanted a third goal before half-time to make us more comfortable, if they score one they can come back.”

Jamie Vardy scored against his boyhood club and also played a part in Leicester’s opening goal after four minutes.

“Jamie showed well with two goals against Stoke and he was fighting and pressing against Watford, now he’s the player who has scored the most goals for us this season,” Maresca added.

“I am very happy with him. I felt this game would suit Jamie and the idea here was for him to start. It’s my duty to give everyone minutes, sometimes you can, sometimes you can’t, but Jamie was working well.”

Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl was encouraged by his team’s second-half performance.

“We showed a lot more in the second half and I was happier with our reaction to going behind,” he said.

“We changed to a back five but it was more having the belief.

“There was an improvement, but against Leicester you need to be good for 90 minutes and we had one good half.

“That was the positive thing we can take from the game and I think our supporters at the end recognised our second-half performance.

“This is what we can do if we are on the front foot, the data showed that. If we could have had one goal, then maybe we can try to do something.

“At Leicester it is a challenge, but we always wanted to try to get something. We drew with them at home. We know how strong they are, they are outstanding. But we reacted better than we did against Southampton.

“What we have to do now is come to every game and take as many points as we can.”

Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl said his side won a “first cup final” as they gave their Championship survival chances a shot in the arm with a 2-0 win against Birmingham.

Ike Ugbo scored his first two goals for the Owls as they gave their disgruntled fans something to cheer about at Hillsborough.

Thousands of home supporters brandished posters protesting against owner Dejphon Chansiri before kick-off but they were soon celebrating their first league win since New Year’s Day.

The victory repairs some of the damage of last week’s 4-0 defeat at Huddersfield and second-bottom Wednesday are now five points behind the Terriers and safety.

“It was a big, big fight from both teams,” Rohl said. “We fought for every inch today, we had some really good moments with the ball.

“It was a performance from the whole team, all in all it was a close game but we took the win.

“It was important, in our situation, it is just one game with three points and there are 15 games. We have to go.

“I am not speaking about momentum, I am speaking about three points, for me it was a first cup final.

“We know exactly our situation, we know everyone has to be in one direction and if we do this we can be strong and have a chance. But we have to be fighting for 15 games.”

Birmingham missed the chance to pull clear of the bottom three and they are now just six points above Wednesday and looking over their shoulder.

Things would have been different had they been more clinical and boss Tony Mowbray accepts they cannot afford many more games like this.

“We had 25 shots tonight and no goals,” he said. “We had 15 at West Brom last week and no goals.

“We have to be more clinical, we have to take more care. We have got quality at the top end of the pitch but we have to take more care. There is plenty right with the team. The goals are disappointing.

“We have to keep going and believing, there is a long way to go. We have to turn dominant performances into wins.

“I am trying to be positive, they have to shake themselves out of games like this, we have to get in front and win games comfortably.

“I am alright with it, I am not alright to lose football matches, but there is plenty right with the team. We have to take more care.”

Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl vowed his team “will fight for everything” to stay in the Championship after their winless run reached three matches with a 0-0 home draw with Watford.

Rohl felt his team deserved to win a game which saw both teams hit the woodwork in the first period and Di’Shon Bernard denied a second-half opener by the impressive Watford goalkeeper Ben Hamer.

The Owls had 19 shots throughout the contest but failed to score against a Watford side who picked up their first clean sheet since November.

Rohl insists his team’s display was not one of a team five points adrift in the relegation zone.

He told a press conference: “We did well as a team but I believe if we do this in the next 17 games we will achieve our goals because this performance is not a performance from a relegation side.

“Of course we need some luck to win some games and the decisions today were not easy to take, but this is football.

“When I arrived the club had no belief, the club in trouble, no positive energy… whereas now my team goes into every game with the conviction we can take something.

“Everyone should be proud of what we have done since I arrived here. As long as I am the manager we will fight for everything.”

The Owls travel to fellow relegation battlers Huddersfield at the weekend and would move within two points of their Yorkshire rivals with victory.

Rohl admits it is an important match but does not think it will decide their fate.

“It’s a big game and we have to be ready for the fight,” he added.

“I also believe this game will not decide whether we stay in the league or not. It’s just another game with three points up for grabs. There is a lot in the game but after we have 16 games to go.”

Watford boss Valerien Ismael blamed the poor conditions as his side missed an opportunity to go within a point of the play-offs and drew for the fourth time in five league outings.

He said: “We will take the point, the pitch was awful and difficult to play football.

“We knew that before and prepared the guys but it was really bad. That’s why it was difficult for us to control the ball as usual and struggled a bit more than usual.

“Nonetheless we had some great chances in the first half to score but we were disciplined, calm and focused on our game.

“It was a tough away game but we finally have a clean sheet after two months and 15 games, but we take what we can get at the minute.”

Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl was grateful to Cameron Dawson after the goalkeeper’s penalty-saving heroics helped seal a 4-0 FA Cup win against Cardiff.

Dawson kept out quickfire spot-kicks from Cardiff skipper Ryan Wintle and Callum Robinson inside the opening seven minutes after Josh Windass had given Wednesday a second-minute lead.

The Owls keeper was in inspired form for his hometown club, pulling off a string of further saves to keep Cardiff at bay, while Romaine Sawyers’ own goal and Liam Palmer’s stunning volley put the Owls 3-0 up at half-time.

Cardiff were made to pay for a long list of squandered chances in either half and Owls substitute Mallik Wilks completed the scoring in added time.

Rohl said: “Cameron has shown in the past that he is there. Today he has saved two penalties, it was great.

“I always protect my players and in the past when there were some mistakes – I think today he showed he is ready.

“It was a performance everyone will speak about, but we won’t speak about individuals, it was just the team. The team did the job we have to do and that’s it.”

The Owls are enjoying a mini-revival under Rohl, who became the English Football League’s youngest manager when appointed as Xisco Munoz’s replacement in October.

This latest win was their sixth in nine games in all competitions and the 34-year-old German, who left out Barry Bannan and Bailey Cadamarteri, was delighted his side maintained their momentum.

“For sure, it was for me clear,” he said. “You always think after this tough period maybe some players need a rest.

“For me, it was about whether there was a risk and if there was we wouldn’t risk to play with some players.

“But my team did well for the result. It was OK, next round. Now it’s about keeping going, recovery and I’ve always spoken about the momentum. I want to keep this.”

Cardiff made six changes following their 2-1 win at QPR on New Year’s Day and in the absence of manager Erol Bulut, who had stayed at home due to illness, assistant Nikolaos Karydas was philosophical in defeat.

“Disappointed I cannot say because the result sometimes does not reflect the performance of the team,” Karydas said.

“We saw many positive things, especially in the second half. I cannot say as an excuse we missed a lot of players.”

On his side’s two missed penalties and a glut of other spurned chances, he added: “In football, you can expect anything. Even this is a part of the game.

“Maybe if we had scored the result would be opposite, but we have to accept it now and look forward to the next game.

“In football if you don’t score, you lose the game. You have to score. But we’ll say we are satisfied by the pictures that the players showed.”

Danny Rohl hailed his Sheffield Wednesday side’s defensive discipline as they held on for a vital 1-0 win over Preston.

The Owls picked up their fourth victory in seven games thanks to Marvin Johnson’s first-half strike but were forced to hang on for their win after George Byers was sent off late on.

Preston had nine shots, but only two on target, as they desperately searched for an equaliser but none came as they drop to 11th in the Championship table.

Wednesday remain in the relegation zone despite claiming three points at Deepdale and face high-flying Hull next on New Year’s Day.

“It was a really tough game for us, but I expected that exactly,” Wednesday manager Rohl said.

“A big topic in our chat before the game was the importance of defending – we knew we’d have to do a lot of that tonight.

“Our defending in and around our box was brilliant. We’ve put in a great performance and done really well to get a big three points.

“The performance was not the best at times, mainly due to some poor positioning I suppose, but the players really fought all night and that was fantastic to see.”

Wednesday were backed by over 5,000 fans who filled an end at Deepdale and were not dampened by the driving rain, or Preston’s brighter start to the match.

North End skipper Alan Browne went close with a thumping drive early on before Wednesday replied as Will Vaulks headed inches over as he darted in to meet Djeidi Gassama’s cross.

Preston went close again as Browne worked the ball tidily out to Duane Holmes, and he turned inside before drilling an angled effort just over the crossbar.

But it was Wednesday who went ahead after 27 minutes as Johnson coolly slotted past Freddie Woodman after racing on to Bailey Cadamarteri’s precise through-ball.

Rohl added: “This was massive for the fans too. I think there were more than 5,000 of them here tonight, and I enjoyed celebrating with them at the end.

“I think they all recognise exactly what we are trying to do now – they can all see how close we are.

“Maybe we were a little bit lucky to get all three points in the end, but again we showed lots of that fighting spirit and we did what we had to do.”

Preston spurned chance after chance in the second half, but were given a lifeline in the 85th minute when Byers was sent off for a challenge on Mads Frokjaer-Jensen.

However, North End still could not find a way through as the full-time whistle sparked jubilant scenes for the Wednesday players and their travelling faithful.

And while Wednesday will look to ride the high from their win, Preston boss Ryan Lowe has called on his side to bounce back as they prepare to go to Sunderland on Monday.

He said: “It’s a massively frustrating night.

“There was certainly no lack of effort and determination from my lads, and the commitment was definitely there.

“We just didn’t quite do enough in the final third and didn’t get people in the right areas enough.

“We didn’t put quality balls into the right areas, and that’s cost us in the end.

“It’s about us bouncing back now. We had good moments, but we’ve just not found the finish.”

Danny Rohl spoke of his pride as his Sheffield Wednesday side came from behind to beat Queens Park Rangers 2-1 in dramatic fashion.

Late goals from Bailey Cadamarteri and Anthony Musaba completed an incredible turnaround for Wednesday and gave the home side all three points in a vital game at the bottom of the Championship table.

Rohl said: “It was a hard game against an opponent who forced us to work very hard. I don’t think in the first half either team was better than the other; it was a very even game.

“Obviously we conceded the goal and it was very hard for us against a team like QPR because they were defending so deep.

“I spoke to the team at half-time and I said we need to play the ball forward more often. We had the feeling in the second half there was something in the game for us.

“We had to take a few players off because of injury so it was even more difficult for us and this makes me so proud of the team today.

“I have talked about what has made us successful in the last few games and it has all been about having the belief until the very end.

“We got the point against Leicester, the winner against Stoke and again today. I think this shows the character and personality we have in our team.

“We could have been happy with 1-1 but there was a feeling in the stadium. Our crowd at home is fantastic and they pushed us over the line again today.

“I am so proud of the whole team. Right now everyone is working at the very limit to give the best they can for the club.”

QPR manager Marti Cifuentes felt his side needed to do more to kill the game off when they were ahead at Hillsborough.

“I am disappointed in the way we managed the last 15 minutes of the game,” he said. “We can’t lead for so long and then concede two goals like that.

“We had a clear chance to kill the game and in these moments we must take advantage. We didn’t score the second but these things can happen.

“In the past two games we have had opportunities to take big steps forward and we have not taken them. The performances have been good but we haven’t got the results we wanted.

“We have let Sheffield Wednesday get a hold of the game. They were 1-0 down at home in an important game; we had to do more to frustrate them.

“I think today we weren’t able to play the way we would have liked to. In the second half we had a few good periods of possession but we didn’t do enough to score.

“We are frustrated with the result but we need to be calm and united and stay together. We need to remind ourselves we were leading away from home for 85 minutes.

“We will take the positives but at the same time we will analyse what we need to do better. Over the festive period we have four games in 10 days and we need to make sure everyone is ready.”