Sheffield Wednesday’s Adam Reach blames Leeds United’s ‘frustrating’ tactics for stunning opening goal

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Reach’s Sheffield Wednesday held on for a 1-1 draw against Leeds United on Friday.

Adam Reach’s superb goal for Sheffield Wednesday against Leeds United was borne of frustration caused by the visitors’ tactics, the Owls winger told BBC Sport afterwards.

Reach saw little of the ball before his long-range strike looped in via the frame of the goal on the stroke of half-time, with Leeds pinning Wednesday back at Hillsborough.

And the 25-year-old suggested that had he been more involved until that point, he may not have taken on Steven Fletcher’s knock-down.

Asked what sort of game it was to play in, Reach replied: “Very tough.

“I was very frustrated the first half, actually, before the goal. Because the way Leeds played, they pushed me and Fernando really far back and, at times, I was in the defensive line, which is obviously not ideal because then the attacking threat is limited.

“And I think that frustration slightly came out with the goal, because Steven just cushioned it down and it bounced and there wasn’t much on and I just thought, do you know what, I haven’t had many touches of the ball; why not, let’s hit it.

“And it’s one of them, it flies in; that could have easily went top of the Leeds stand but it went in and that took us into half time in a really good place.

“But Leeds are a good side. They’re top of the table for a reason. They dominated. We were on the back foot and, you know, although we drew and lost a leading position, it’s a happy dressing room because that was a hard-earned point.”

Leeds equalised with an impressive strike of their own nine minutes after the restart, as Mateusz Klich curled beyond Cameron Dawson’s outstretched left hand from outside the box.

And Sheffield Wednesday were forced to dig in after that, as the Whites embarked upon a relentless pursuit of a winning goal that never arrived.

Still, Reach could have won it for the Owls as the game entered its closing stage, although the Leeds goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell was equal to his low drive from 20-yards.