Gary Hooper timed his return to form to perfection as he secured Sheffield Wednesday’s place in the Championship playoffs and ended Cardiff City’s slim hopes of snatching it from them.
Hooper, prolific while on loan at Hillsborough earlier this season, had scored only once in his past 12 games since a permanent move from Norwich City, who did not consider him good enough for the Premier League.
But he claimed two goals here, created the other and might yet have the chance
to prove his top-flight credentials — and possibly pass Norwich on the way up — as Wednesday prepare for a playoff semi-final likely to be against the team who blink first at the top of the division.
Middlesbrough, Burnley and Brighton are scrambling for the two automatic promotion slots. The odd one out will not relish facing Wednesday, who have developed impressively under head coach Carlos Carvalhal and will go into the post-season games with their confidence high.
Carvalhal said: “I refused to talk about the playoffs and said from the beginning of the season that we were the underdogs, and I still have the same opinion. If you look at the other five teams, they have invested a lot and some have the same coach, the same players and are improving year by year.
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“We have a new coach, 15 or 16 new players and a new philosophy. We have changed a lot of things and upgraded our team. Now we have this place because we have a fantastic group of players who are acting like a team.”
Hooper, in particular, will relish the challenge of the playoffs after his splendid contribution to this match, which came to life with his 25-yard effort that struck a post and proved to be the highlight of the opening half.
Cardiff’s response before the interval was muted. The pattern was similar in the second 45 minutes as they continued to employ one striker and were strangely unambitious considering victory was essential.
Their hopes of achieving it effectively ended on 64 minutes. Sean Morrison, Cardiff’s most influential defender, departed with an injury a minute before Daniel Pudil’s shot came back off the legs of goalkeeper David Marshall and the unmarked Hooper drove Wednesday in front.
The second goal was the result of Hooper’s persistence. He robbed Marshall on the edge of the area and hooked in a shot from near the byline that was bundled over his own line by Lee Peltier.
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Hooper, who became a father for the first time last week, added Wednesday’s third deep into stoppage time when he lobbed Marshall.
Cardiff’s failure to finish in the top six increases speculation about the future of their manager Russell Slade, although the club’s owner Vincent Tan, admires the job he has done while trimming the wage bill and working under a transfer embargo.
Slade said: “I have to say we were beaten by the better side. I’m very disappointed with the second half and a couple of the goals we conceded.
“We were not a great enough threat in that second half and it was not to be.”
Star man: Gary Hooper (Sheffield Wednesday)
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Sheffield Wednesday: Westwood 6, Hunt 6, Loovens 7, Lees 6, Pudil 6 (Helan 81min, 5), Lee 7, Lopez 7, Bannan 6, Hooper 8, Lucas Joao 5 (Matias 86min, 5), Forestieri 7 (Nuhiu 69min, 5)
Cardiff: Marshall 5, Peltier 5, Morrison 7 (Ecuele Manga 61min, 5), Connolly 6, Malone 5, Noone 6, O’Keefe 5, Dikgacoi 5 (Harris 71min, 5), Whittingham 5, Pilkington 5 (Ameobi 20min, 5), Zohore 4