Sheffield Wednesday 0-3 Sunderland: Jack Clarke scores twice as Black Cats ease to victory over Xisco Munoz's struggling Owls

Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland at Hillsborough as two goals from Jack Clarke and one from Dan Ballard increased the Owls' woes on Friday night

Dan Long

Digital football journalist @DanLong__

Saturday 30 September 2023 06:34, UK

Sheffield Wednesday's worrying start to the season continued as their winless run was extended to nine games after a 3-0 home defeat to Sunderland.

Hours earlier, Owls chairman Dejphon Chansiri released a statement, where he said he will not invest any more money into the club after accusing some fans of "crossing the line" and threatening his family.

And a turbulent day was made all the more forgettable by a double from the in-form Jack Clarke after Dan Ballard had headed the Black Cats in after less than five minutes.

Wednesday remain rock bottom of the Sky Bet Championship as a result of their seventh defeat of the season and third in four games, while Sunderland climb above Hull into fourth ahead of the remainder of the weekend's action.

A night of contrasting emotions in South Yorkshire

With Sheffield Wednesday languishing at the bottom, four points from safety - even at this early stage of the campaign - the timing of the aforementioned statement from their owner was unfavourable, at best.

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Michael Gray, Courtney Sweetman-Kirk and Yorkshire Live's Ricky Charlesworth dissect Dejphon Chansiri's statement, after the Sheffield Wednesday owner said will not invest any more money into the club.

"Protests are a waste of time," Chansiri said, in response to recent criticism. The performance on Friday night did little to suggest they will be going anywhere any time soon.

The game could hardly have started in a worse fashion for the Owls. Inside five minutes, a needlessly conceded free-kick was turned behind for a corner. Alex Pritchard delivered from the left and Ballard headed in from inside the six-yard box.

But it got worse, quickly, when the unmarked Clarke received the ball of dreams from Jobe Bellingham on the left flank, cut inside and rifled into the bottom right to make it 2-0.

Just after the half-hour, the in-form forward doubled his tally from the spot after Chelsea loanee Mason Burstow had been pulled to ground in the box by Bambo Diaby. The boos at the break were chilling; fuelled by frustration and fury.

Wednesday seldom looked a threat in either half, in truth, generating an Expected Goals figure of 0.51 throughout. They did come close after 57 minutes when Callum Paterson chested down a cross and lashed a shot that Anthony Patterson had to be alert to bat away.

By then, though, the damage was done. And with the last quarter of the game disrupted by changes from both sides, neither could engineer enough rhythm to alter the scoreline.

Xisco: Repairing the mentality key for Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday's Xisco Munoz:

"It's difficult when you are in this situation. After half-time, the team was a little better, but the first 10 minutes were difficult for us. After that, the plan of the game doesn't matter because we killed the game and after that, it is very difficult to react.

"One of the things that is important now is to change the dynamic, to try to repair the mentality and the confidence of everybody. I was a player, so I know it's not easy in these moments. I want to put my focus on the football.

"Believe me, I am focusing on the next game. I am ready to do this. I know it's not easy; it's very difficult for everybody. The conversations I have with the boss [Chansiri] are personal conversations for me and for him."

Mowbray: We could have been more ruthless, but I can't complain tonight

Sunderland's Tony Mowbray:

"We got off to a great start and scored from the first set-play, which is good. We do a lot of work for and against set-plays - as I'm sure every team does - and it's great to score one. We wanted to start fast. We were mindful of our last away game at Blackburn where we didn't; they looked like Real Madrid for 20 minutes against us.

"Tonight we started fast, on the front foot and we caught them out a few times. It gave us a great platform to go on, keep the ball, ask questions of them and to get three before half-time was a great result. I've just said in the dressing room, they will be disappointed they weren't more ruthless and didn't score more goals. They were caught between keeping possession of the ball and having a bit more cut-and-thrust.

"But I can't really complain tonight. To come away from home and score three goals again is good."

What's next?

Sheffield Wednesday travel to The Hawthorns to take on West Brom at 8pm on Tuesday October 4, while Sunderland host Watford at the Stadium of Light at 7.45pm on Wednesday October 5.

Both matches will be available to watch live on Sky Sports Football Red Button.