Sheffield Wednesday boss Darren Moore hailed Dennis Adeniran’s explosive return following a seven-month injury absence as he claimed a goal and an assist in a 2-0 Carabao Cup triumph over Sunderland.
Adeniran opened the scoring with a spectacular 30-yard, first-half strike before teeing up Sylla Sow with an inch-perfect cross to wrap up victory after the break.
Commenting on the ex-Everton and Fulham midfielder’s display, Moore said: “He’s had problems with his knees and we’ve had to manage him during pre-season on the hard pitches, so it’s great to have him back and I’m really pleased for him that he put in the performance that he did.
“After scoring a goal like that and, then, assisting the second one, he can certainly feel pleased with his night’s work.”
The win stretched Wednesday’s unbeaten run at Hillsborough to an 11th game – equalling their best sequence since February 2016 – with Moore adding: “There were some big performances in a real, quality game and I thought we got stronger as it went on and managed the game well in and out of possession.”
Alex Neil, meanwhile, saw Sunderland lose for the first time in 19 contests but, having fielded a completely different starting XI to that which won 3-2 at Bristol City on Saturday, he was prioritising the club’s Championship campaign.
“It was a challenging evening as we made 11 changes, which is not natural or normal, but it was really important that we did not risk the lads who have put so much effort into our first two games of the season,” Neil explained.
“I also wanted to give all the lads an opportunity to show how they can perform, although it was difficult for them, because we didn’t have too much balance in the team.
“Jack Diamond was playing up front on his own and he’s a wide player, but we tried to come up with a system that would suit the players we wanted to play.”
