OWLS MISERABLE RUN GOES ON AS PELLY POUNCES

Boss Monk deflated as Hatters stretch record

- Chris Dunlavy

PELLY Mpanzu’s late win-ner condemned Sheffield Wednesday to their 11th home game without a victory – the Owls’ worst run at Hillsborough since the 1975-76 season.

Mpanzu struck in the 74th minute, just moments after home defender Joost van Aken was dismissed for a thigh-high challenge on the Luton Town midfielder.

It was a deserved victory for the Hatters, who dominated for long spells and missed two glorious early chances.

Wednesday, strangely lethargic and utterly toothless, never looked like scoring. These are worrying times for Garry Monk, who began the week talking of erasing the 12-point deduction imposed for a breach of FFP.

Instead, his side remain eight points from safety, marooned on -4 and now face a brace of crunch fixtures against relegation rivals Rotherham United and Wycombe Wanderers.

“It’s frustrating, it’s disappointing, it’s all those emotions that go with losing two home games in a week,” said manager Monk, whose side lost 2-1 to Brentford in midweek.