Huddersfield Town’s 100 per cent home record has gone - but it took a penalty to separate Sheffield Wednesday and David Wagner’s battling side.
A recorded gate of 22,368, the highest ever for a league game at the John Smith’s Stadium, saw Fernando Forestieri - who else? - put away a 67th-minute penalty awarded for handball by Rajiv van La Parra to earn the visitors all three points.
Former Italy Under 21 international Forestieri has long been a thorn in Town’s side going back to his days at Watford.
Now he’s one of the golden boys of last season’s beaten Championship play-off finalists Wednesday, who look capable of another tilt at promotion.
LOOK: Huddersfield Town 0 Sheffield Wednesday 1, 16.10.16: Match Action from the John Smith's Stadium
Forestieri has now scored and finished on the winning side in each of his last four visits to Huddersfield.
The tricky 26-year-old sealed a 1-0 victory in the same fixture last season, and the Owls seem to be something of a jinx side for both Wagner and Town, who haven’t beaten them in six attempts.
The head coach has lost out in all three of his meetings with Wednesday chief Carlos Carvalhal.
Both last season’s clashes were tight, and the latest was no different.
Town, who needed a Sunday lunchtime win in front of the Sky cameras to go back to the top after being overtaken by Norwich City and Newcastle United the previous day, bossed possession (66 per cent) and had more shots (12 to their visitors’ nine).
But they lacked that clinical touch, although it took a goalline clearance to deny Elias Kachunga an equaliser in the 80th minute.
Owls fans (there were 1,953 of them present) will point to the fact that Forestieri was inches away from putting them ahead in the 48th minute to support claims their win was deserved.
A deft first touch to Adam Reach’s lofted upfield ball gave him space for a dinked shot which beat Danny Ward but bounced against the Town keeper’s left-hand post.
Premier League whistler Graham Scott made a few questionable rulings, but there was little argument over the penalty as a Tom Lees shot thumped into the raised hands of van La Parra.
Forestieri sent Ward the wrong way, and the win justified Carvalhal’s decision to make four changes to the side beaten by Brighton and Hove Albion before the international break (right-back Liam Palmer, centre-back Sam Hutchinson, midfielder David Jones and forward Gary Hooper came in).
Wagner’s men had won 1-0 at Ipswich Town in their previous game, and the boss made two changes from Portman Road, with Kasey Palmer and van La Parra in for Dean Whitehead and Sean Scannell.
Aaron Mooy shrugged off the effects of his long-haul trip to Australia to maintain his ever-present record, although he looked a little jaded, but Kachunga and Jonathan Hogg were once again impressive.
Both Kachunga and Palmer tested keeper Kieren Westwood in the first half, but Wagner, who pushed defenders Mark Hudson and Michael Hefele, on as a substitute, up front late on, will want his players to make more of whatever chances come their way on Wednesday night at Preston North End, whose former Town boss Simon Grayson was watching on.
