Wayne Rooney endured a disappointing start to his tenure as manager of Plymouth Argyle, as the team suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday in their opening match of the season.
Despite a difficult previous season where Wednesday took 14 games to secure a win, they made a strong start in the 2024/25 campaign, largely thanks to Jamal Lowe. The new signing scored in the first half and was instrumental in an own goal by Brendan Galloway in the second half at Hillsborough. Josh Windass and Michael Smith each added goals late in the match, sealing a triumphant day for the Owls.
Rooney faces a lot of questions after this significant loss.
Match Summary
Sheffield Wednesday dominated the first half, with two key players linking up to create their first goal in the 35th minute. Barry Bannan delivered a precise pass to Svante Ingelsson, whose cross found Lowe in the center, and he finished confidently. Just after the break, they made it 2-0 thanks to a disastrous own goal from Galloway, whose attempt to clear a header from Lowe inadvertently sent the ball into his own net.
Wednesday extended their lead in the 83rd minute when Windass finished off a move begun by his own pass to Anthony Musaba, who set it up perfectly for the goal. A final flourish came when Smith, who came on as a substitute, scored from close range just before the final whistle.
Rooney’s Reaction
In the aftermath of the match, Rooney remarked, “The scoreline was deserved. What disappointed me most were the basics of the game, such as winning duels and stopping crosses. We conceded four goals, all from crosses. Our early performance was not what we’ve shown in recent weeks.”
Rooney continued, expressing his frustration with the team’s lack of confidence and early handling of the crowd’s energy, stating, “We let them establish a foothold in the game and conceded two more goals as a result. I’m disappointed and angry because that’s not the performance I wanted to see.”
Analysis: Concerns Already for Rooney
Sky Sports’ Luke Chambers commented on the worries for Rooney, stating, “If I were Wayne Rooney right now, I would be very concerned about the performance of the players. If that’s how he wants them to play, it could be a long season.”
Chambers also praised Sheffield Wednesday’s improvement, acknowledging that they entered the match as favorites and were clinical with their chances.
Rohl’s Take on the Match
Danny Rohl, Sheffield Wednesday’s manager, expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, saying, “This match reflected what we’ve worked on for the last six weeks. We showed our fitness and ability to play well both with and without the ball. While we had a lot of positive moments, we can still be more clinical moving forward.”
Rohl acknowledged the great atmosphere at Hillsborough and emphasized the importance of focusing on the next game. “This was just the first step, and we have 45 more to come. If we keep playing like this, we’ll have a successful season ahead.”
Credit: Sky Sports
