Sheffield Wednesday vs. Brighton: Score, Reaction from 2016 Championship Playoff

Sheffield Wednesday will take a 2-0 advantage to Brighton and Hove Albion for the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final after a brilliant performance at Hillsborough on Friday.

Ross Wallace’s crisp strike in the 45th minute gave the home side a lead at the end of a pulsating first period, including a huge moment of controversy when Fernando Forestieri’s strike was earlier ruled out for offside.

Kieran Lee doubled the advantage after 73 minutes with Brighton down to 10 men; the visitors suffered the misfortune of having four players unable to continue because of injuries and were forced into a damage-limitation exercise.

This snap from Helen Jones (h/t Football Away Days) captured the special atmosphere at the famous stadium:

Sheffield Wednesday fans tonight #swfc (pic: @_HelenJones_) pic.twitter.com/Nzz10pJqAd

— Football Away Days (@AwayDays_) May 13, 2016

Given how much is at stake in these contests, the first legs can be tight affairs, with neither side willing to give an inch. But both Wednesday, who finished sixth in the regular season, and Albion, who were third in the league, attacked from the off.

Tomer Hemed came close for Brighton, as he got on the end of a corner only to see his header hammer against the woodwork. Then David Stockdale was on hand to deny Wallace, who was bright in the early minutes, with a superb save at full stretch.

A goal seemed inevitable with both teams throwing caution to the wind, and much to the delight of a packed Hillsborough, Forestieri had the ball in the back of the net in the 19th minute. The Wednesday fans quickly became enraged, though, as the strike was controversially chalked off for offside a long time after the Italian’s calm finish.

The debate centred on whether Gary Hooper touched the ball, something still unclear from subsequent replays. Squawka Football showed the contrasting emotions in the aftermath:

Fernando Forestieri’s reactions before and after his opening goal was ruled out for offside.Huge call. pic.twitter.com/tENYyLeO2w

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 13, 2016

Still, the home side weren’t deterred by the decision and continued to play with a greater purpose as the first half rolled on.

Eventually, they did get the goal their efforts deserved on the stroke of …

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