Sheffield Wednesday’s three-year stay in the Championship was ended in a cruel final twist of fate by Sheffield United after a 2-1 derby defeat at Bramall Lane.
For their city rivals to operate the relegation trap door only added insult to injury as Wednesday’s miserable mathematical fate was confirmed.
Excluding Bury, who were expelled from League One in 2019-20 without playing a game, this is the earliest a team have been relegated in EFL history.
There was little by way of empathy from the Sheffield United supporters, who serenaded their visitors in added time with chants of “Wednesday’s going down”.
It was a feisty contest won by United despite a 49th-minute red card for Kalvin Phillips for a dangerous tackle on Svante Ingelsson and one that added further impetus to their long-distance promotion playoff push. Wednesday also had a player sent off in the 90th minute, Gabriel Otegbayo, for a second yellow card.
It took the home side all of 75 seconds to take the lead. Joel Ndala made a horrible hash of a clearance, presenting it on a plate to Gustavo Hamer, and the midfielder fed the ball to Patrick Bamford who finished calmly.
Harrison Burrows doubled United’s advantage in the 19th minute but Wednesday were determined not to go down quietly and, after the dismissal of Phillips in only his third league appearance since joining on loan from Manchester City, Charlie McNeill pulled one back with a left-footed strike in the 53rd minute.
If Wednesday could have derailed their South Yorkshire neighbours it would at least have given them something to take from a season that has brought only one league victory.
But United succeeded in keeping them at arm’s length to make it 10 Championship defeats in a row for Wednesday and relegate them with 13 games still to play.
