Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Bristol City: Owls hopes dented by 10-man Robins
- Published
Sheffield Wednesday have lost three of their past four games and remain seven points from safety
Tyreeq Bakinson snatched a late equaliser for 10-man Bristol City and dealt Sheffield Wednesday's hopes of escaping relegation from the Championship a severe blow.
The Owls led for most of the game through Julian Borner's early header - but failed to wrap up the points after City's Henri Lansbury was sent off for handball on the line.
Barry Bannan's subsequent penalty was saved by Dan Bentley and Wednesday squandered a further string of opportunities to increase their lead.
They were punished three minutes from time when Bakinson fired home from distance to earn the Robins a share of the points.
The draw leaves 23rd-placed Wednesday - who were without boss Darren Moore as he recovers from a bout of post-Covid pneumonia - seven points adrift of safety with four games to go, while City are 14th.
Borner gave Wednesday the perfect start, heading home his second goal in four games after Josh Windass had volleyed a corner back across the Bristol City box.
But Bannan squandered the opportunity to make it 2-0, with Bentley diving to push away his spot-kick after Lansbury had been shown the red card for scooping Callum Paterson's shot out from under the bar.
The Owls continued to dominate their depleted opponents, with Bannan and Windass both going close and Liam Palmer steaming in to meet Bannan's cross with a volley that crashed against the woodwork.
Bentley denied Palmer after the break, while Bannan dragged another chance wide and City - who had scored only once in their previous five games - rarely looked likely to deny their hosts a precious victory.
But midfielder Bakinson struck an 88th-minute equaliser, collecting the ball on the edge of the box and drilling it beyond Keiren Westwood.
Owls 'can't give up' - reaction
Sheffield Wednesday assistant manager Jamie Smith:
"It's a tough one to take, it feels like a defeat.
"It's a point but not enough, we should have won the game. We had enough chances to win the game.
"We can't just give up, we have got to work."
Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson told BBC Radio Bristol:
"It was a tough afternoon for us. We keep giving poor goals away.
"It's players not dealing with their own markers. It's a frustration, it happened twice in the first half, we could have been further behind.
"Obviously the penalty decision made life very, very difficult for us."