Sheffield Wednesday kept their play-off hopes alive with a 4-2 win over Blackburn Rovers at a rain soaked Hillsborough. 

Goals from Atdhe Nuhiu, Dominic Iorfa, Marco Matias and Steven Fletcher gave Wednesday all the points. Craig Conway did pull a goal back at 2-0, for the visitors but it wasn't enough to spark a comeback. Rovers stole another goal in 88th minute through Elliot Bennett.

Story of the game

Both sides started the game, brightly and were using the slick turf to play an intensive passing game. 

The first half chance of the game did go to the visitors, when Bradley Dack picked up the ball, 25-30 yards from goal but his effort dragged wide of the Wednesday goal. 

Wednesday opened the scoring, with their first real chance of the game. Dominic Iorfa put a low cross in from the right, which in the end found its way to Fletcher at the back post who tapped it in. 

After the opener, the Owls were really on top and nearly added a second in the 14th minute. Adam Reach went on a mazing run and a vicious effort palmed away by David Raya.

Wednesday were unlucky not to be two in front, when Michael Hector had a brilliant header bounce back off of the post. 

Both sides then went on a bit of a baron run, when it comes to meaningful chances. The biggest half chance did fall to Blackburn when Dack was slid through but was only to get a really weak shot off, which was easily held by Keiren Westwood. 

It was Dack who looked the most threatening in a Rovers shirt. Five minutes before the break, Dack found himself with some space and let off a shot, that skid along the floor and forced Westwood to make a good save to turn it away. 

The second half started in a very similar way to the first with both sides enjoying bouts of possession. 

Neither side created any meaningful chances in the opening period of the second half. It was devolving into a game of ping pong at points. 

Wednesday did double their lead in the 60th minute. A beautiful free-kick, whipped in by Barry Bannan was headed home by Nuhiu, who was completely unmarked in the Rovers box.  

In a rare lapse in concentration from the Owls defence, allowed Blackburn to pull one back. A ball in from the left from Joe Rothwell, found Conway unmarked who volleyed home to set up an intense finish.

There was to be no late comeback, though for Rovers as Wednesday made it 3-1 with 10 minutes left to play. Another great free-kick delivery caused havoc in the Rovers defence and Iorfa slammed it home to seal the points. 

Wednesday even had time to add a fourth through Matias. Bannan again creating the oppurtunity for Matias. The winger's shot snuck underneath Raya in the Rovers goal.

Rovers did pull another goal back in the 88th minute through Bennett. Dack laid the ball on a plate for Bennett to smash it home and make things a little more tense in the last few minutes. 

Takeaways from the match

The play-off race is heating up

Given how other results in the Championship have gone on this matchday, it leaves just four points between Middlesbrough in 5th and Nottingham Forest in 11th. This means going into the last eight games of the season, the two final play-off spots are still up for grabs between eight teams. Wednesday are going into this run in, in superb form not losing in the league now since mid-January against Hull City. Could Wednesday sneak a place in the play-offs and with Steve Bruce at the helm, anything would be possible from there.

April from Hell to come for Wednesday

The Owls will need to keep up the level of performances they have produced to survive a very tricky run of fixtures coming up. They go to Stoke City after the international break, before a hellish run of games that include the visit of Aston Villa and a trip to title chasers Leeds United. Wednesday have produced some superb performances in this run but could the international break, slow down their momentum that has propelled them up the table. Only time will tell on that one. 

Dack too good for Blackburn

Rovers did have a decent spell for a bout 20 minutes in the first half but really did struggle to create anything going forward. The only time they ever looked dangerous was through Bradley Dack. Dack was the only one who tested Westwood all afternoon and looks to be playing below his potential level at Rovers. If Blackburn do finish low in the Championship this season, we could see Premier League clubs take a punt on Dack but there is always the worry, that Dack might be a repeat of the likes of Nick Powell and Alex Pritchard, who both had solid seasons in the Championship and League 1 respectively. However, neither were able to reproduce this level in the Premier League.

Man of the Match

Dominic Iorfa

This was a quite a tricky one to decide but Iorfa gets the award on this occasion. There was a decent enough argument that Bannan should get it but Iorfa just edged him out. Iorfa worked tirelessly all afternoon and showed great fight in everything he did. He set up Wednesday's first afternoon, superbly and then rounded off a great performance with a goal of his own. The winger always looked a danger going forward and was instrumental to the Owls win. 

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