Sheffield Wednesday 3 West Brom 2 - Late heartbreak after two goal fightback
A two-goal fightback was in vain as Albion's unbeaten start to the Championship was ended after a remarkable finale at Hillsborough.
Sheffield Wednesday edged a 3-2 victory and probably deserved the win on the balance of play but Carlos Corberan and his side will wonder how they did not claim a share of the spoils after Alex Mowatt's 84th-minute equaliser. Wednesday's Anthony Musaba, once again, had the last laugh.
Josh Maja, with his seventh goal in seven games to start the season, had reduced the deficit after the hour following Albion's poorest half of the season so far, at the end of which they were 2-0 down at the interval to Darnell Furlong's own goal and Josh Windass' header.
The end of the first half saw a medical emergency play out in the away end where an Albion fan received treatment on what looked like a serious incident. Travelling fans called for play to halt but officials, per the EFL rules, allowed the game to continue.
In the end there was just two minutes between Mowatt's equaliser and substitute Musaba, star man as the Owls won here 3-0 in April, bagging the close-range winner as Corberan's men fell to a league defeat for the first time this term - just Wednesday's second.
Summer recruit midfielder Ousmane Diakite's first Championship start came with fitness concerns around both Mowatt and Jayson Molumby, who were among the substitutes.
Malian Diakite, a signing from TSV Hartberg in Austria, had only previously started in the EFL Cup defeat at Fleetwood. He started alongside Uros Racic, who himself only made a first Baggies start seven days earlier.
The visitors, and their new-look midfield, did not start well at all. It took the hosts just eight minutes to lead and it had been coming even by that stage after Barry Bannan lofted an audacious bicycle kick over the top and a few set-pieces went unpunished.
Albion were easily played through in the middle and the hosts spread it left, where there was a huge overload for the Owls. Bannan fed left wing-back Johnson and the former Kidderminster and Hednesford winger's cross took a heavy deflection off Furlong to leave Alex Palmer helpless.
The visitors took 15 minutes to respond but looked like they might have clicked into gear as Furlong flicked a header from a John Swift free-kick over the top.
Though any signs of a Baggies response was dealt a swift blow moments later. If the first goal was soft, this was worse. A long ball from deep from Owls defender Akin Famewo somehow allowed Windass to evade Albion's high backline and remain onside.
Palmer ventured towards the edge of his box but the ball was right on Windass' head and his smart cushioned header lobbed the goalkeeper. Desperate offside calls from defenders fell on deaf ears as the hosts celebrated.
The rest of the first half, and the entire 90-odd minutes, became a footnote shortly afterwards, as a clear medical emergency broke out in the away end.
Albion fans waved frantically to stewards and officials and it appeared to take some minutes for paramedics to get towards the back of the Leppings Lane away end. Baggies fans, meanwhile, chanted "stop the game" at the referee, who had his finger to his ear seemingly in communication. It appeared some players were aware of the situation.
The incident continued for 10 minutes or so in the away end, where the Albion fan received treatment as play went on. New EFL rules state in serious cases the decision to pause matches lies with the crowd medical team, the ground safety team and the match officials.
Several Albion fans reported on social media their anger at the delay in the individual receiving attention before they were removed from the stand just before half-time.
Action on the field was muted, though Albion had Palmer to thank for a double save before Semi Ajayi nodded over on the stroke of half-time.
Corberan waited no time to switch things as Mowatt replaced the struggling Diakite. The change didn't have the desire effect, though Mowatt did well, and it wasn't until further alterations on the hour Albion clicked up a gear or two.
The head coach sent on Grady Diangana and Mikey Johnston and the former did well as Albion pulled one back with 25 minutes left.
He shimmied through a couple of challenges and fed Tom Fellows on the right. Johnson had done a good job on Fellows to that point, but the winger's stepover and cross out-foxed Wednesday and there, once again, was Maja.
The striker dived bravely for his seventh goal in seven games to halve the deficit.
Though there was time remaining, a barrage of chances failed to arrive. Johnston and Fellows continued to probe with runs down the flanks but they were well marshalled.
Jed Wallace, introduced with 15 to play, saw a one-v-one chance from a tight angle kept out by James Beadle but the offside flag was raised.
It didn't appear to be coming but what appeared the strike to crown an unlikely fightback came with six minutes to go as Mowatt's bouncing strike from 18 yards hit the ground before lobbing the flailing Beadle.
Albion would have wanted a winner but instead one came down the other end about 90 seconds later. The timeless Bannan was played in down the left and crossed for Musaba to convert.
Sheffield Wednesday (3-4-3): Beadle; Palmer, Famewo, Ihieakwe; Valery, Bannan (c), Charles, Johnson (Musaba, 70); Windass (Ingelsson, 90), Ugbo (Smith, 70), Kobacki (Lowe, 62).
Subs not used: Charles, Lowe, Valentin, Otegbayo, Gassama.
Albion (4-3-3): Pamer; Furlong, Ajayi (Frabotta, 82), Bartley (c), Heggem; Diakite (Mowatt, 45), Racic (Johnston, 60), Swift; Fellows (Wallace, 75), Maja, Grant (Diangana, 60).
Subs not used: Wildsmith, Holgate, Molumby.
Attendance: 26,308
Referee: Ben Toner
