This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
Sheffield Wednesday succumbed to their second defeat of Garry Monk’s reign on Saturday afternoon as their opponents mounted a late surge to come from behind to secure all three points.
The Owls slipped back outside the playoff zone as Blackburn Rovers ran out 2-1 victors at Ewood Park, thanks to goals from Tosin Adarabioyo and John Buckley in the final three minutes of the match.
Monk’s second-half substitute Jacob Murphy must’ve thought he had won it for the visitors when he headed home Steven Fletcher’s rebounded effort as the troubled winger finally made an impact of note for the south Yorkshire club.
Despite the defeat, this could serve as one positive from the match as the Newcastle United loanee may have just proven his credentials ahead of January.
The 24-year-old has struggled since joining the club on loan in the summer, contributing just the one goal before Saturday’s fixture.
Both Kadeem Harris and Adam Reach have been preferred to Murphy since Monk has taken charge as he has featured from the bench five times, ever since starting the 40-year-old’s opening match versus Huddersfield Town.
But he could well have thrown his name back into the hat, especially as fans have been left reeling by Reach’s showing in this very game.
Per SofaScore, Murphy recorded one key pass, one successful dribble and won 100% of his ground duels, which is pretty good going for just 20 minutes on the pitch – and that’s aside from his goal which on another day, could be a match-winner.
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The Magpies man has had a torrid time with much of the Hillsborough faithful in the few months he has been at the club, most notably against Cardiff City, where he was labelled as the worst player the club have ever had.
This latest performance will, at least, give some life to his Owls career as we head into January, where Monk can begin to stamp his own mark on the current squad.
