Sheffield Wednesday’s unbeaten home run in the Championship came to an abrupt end on Saturday afternoon when they were defeated 2-1 by Coventry City, and the game was not without controversy.
The Owls dominated possession at Hillsborough and created many scoring opportunities, but went behind after 16 minutes when Ellis Simms headed home Jack Rudoni’s cross.
Coventry led 1-0 at halftime, but Danny Rohl’s side equalised just after the hour mark, when Sky Blues defender Joel Latibeaudiere unintentionally diverted Marvin Johnson’s cross into his own net.
Frank Lampard’s team delivered their deadly blow in the 92nd minute, when Simms capitalized on James Beadle’s goalkeeping error and pushed the ball into an empty net to secure his brace and a crucial three points against a direct play-off foe.
Prior to their loss to Coventry, Wednesday had a huge triumph over Swansea midweek. They were also on a five-game unbeaten streak at Hillsborough and had intended to continue their fine form in S6.
However, following the match, Rohl was dissatisfied with some refereeing choices.
Wednesday boss Danny Rohl calls for VAR in the Championship
Following his team’s defeat, the Owls manager told BBC Radio Sheffield that VAR may be needed in the Championship as well as the Premier League.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Diff | Points |
| 6 |  West Brom |
33 | 11 | 15 | 7 | 42 | 31 | 11 | 48 |
| 7 |  Coventry |
33 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 44 | 41 | 3 | 47 |
| 8 |  Bristol City |
33 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 41 | 37 | 4 | 46 |
| 9 |  Sheffield Wednesday |
33 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 46 | 50 | -4 | 45 |
| 10 |  Watford |
33 | 13 | 6 | 14 | 43 | 48 | -5 | 45 |
| 11 |  Middlesbrough |
32 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 50 | 43 | 7 | 44 |
The Wednesday crowd demanded two penalties in short succession as the game was level 1-1 in the second half, after home debutant Ibrahim Cissoko and then midfielder Shea Charles fell down in the area. However, referee John Busby indicated play-on both times, and Svante Ingelsson’s penalty petition was also denied during the first half.
Coventry have leapfrogged Wednesday in the Championship table and are now only one point behind the top six.
Frank Lampard praises Sheffield Wednesday’s star man
The Coventry manager would not comment on whether his team may have conceded a penalty during their victory in South Yorkshire, but he heaped admiration on Owls mainstay Barry Bannan.
After his team’s victory, Lampard commented: “They’ve got Barry Bannan who is a top-class player in this league and whenever he gets on the ball, he’s a threat with what he can do and what he might find or produce.”
The action at Hillsborough on Saturday was the Wednesday star’s first appearance since a 1-1 draw with Luton Town on February 1st due to injury.
Owls fans were pleasantly delighted to see his name on Rohl’s squad sheet on Saturday, but the former Scotland international was unable to help steer his side to a share of the spoils.
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