Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Southampton: Substitute Che Adams scores late winner for Saints in season opener

Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton at Hillsborough as a late goal from substitute Che Adams earned Saints the victory on Friday night

Simeon Gholam

EFL Editor @simgholam

Saturday 5 August 2023 08:11, UK

Southampton returned to the Championship with a victory as Che Adams earned them a late 2-1 win at Sheffield Wednesday in the opening game of the season on Friday night.

New manager Russell Martin started with James Ward-Prowse as captain and got off to an excellent start as Adam Armstrong put them in front.

Sheffield Wednesday, under new boss Xisco Munoz after the departure of Darren Moore in the summer, hit back after the break through Lee Gregory.

Adams then came off the bench to score the winner for the Saints in the closing stages.

Southampton strike late to earn curtain-raising win

It was the perfect start for Southampton as they made their return to the Championship after 11 years away.

Just eight minutes in and the quality of Nathan Tella - one of the stars of Burnley's promotion campaign last season - told. He cut in from the right and saw his bending shot deflect in off the head of Armstrong.

Southampton looked dominant but they quickly learned in the second half that life at this level won't all be straightforward. On 54 minutes Wednesday levelled, as Gregory pounced quickest from a corner to prod in from close range.

But there would be a late twist at Hillsborough as Southampton found their way through on 87 minutes. As Ward-Prowse found Adams in the box, and he coolly found the net.

The managers

Sheffield Wednesday's Xisco Munoz:

"The performance of the team was perfect. I think it's what we want; we know exactly where we are. We need to improve in some situations, but I think we had our chances. We gave some chances; the first goal was a brilliant goal and the second goal was perfect also.

"Right now, after five weeks working together, it's impossible to take the ball off them [Southampton]. Sometimes you can, sometimes you can't. We know, right now, we don't have the capacity for taking the ball and we have more time on the ball. I think we need more time. They need to know more about me, I need to know more about them and secondly, we need to sign some more players. The most important thing is we are in a good place."

Southampton's Russell Martin:

"I'm really proud of the players. After five weeks' work, to come here, to where they were so good last season, albeit in a different division, was not an easy start for us. We've had a lot going on, a lot of noise around the place, which we can't really control, and the way the players have handled it and with what they've shown on the pitch tonight, I'm so proud.

"That was, for the first game, a big test for them. The courage they showed and the pride in what they were doing, especially towards the end of the game, the way they managed the game was incredible. I'm really grateful for that and I'm really pleased we could win for the amount of supporters we had come in tonight.

"We have so much to work on still and so much improvement to make, but hopefully it shows everyone, the supporters and players, evidence to understand and feel the team they are going to be this season."