Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Leicester City – Jeff Hendrick earns Owls draw in injury time

Substitute Jeff Hendrick scored a dramatic injury-time equalizer to earn Championship bottom side Sheffield Wednesday a hard-fought draw with leaders Leicester City.

But moments after Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen denied Ashley Fletcher late on, Hendrick slammed a 93rd-minute leveler past the Dane to euphoric scenes in South Yorkshire.

Still, it took a save from Cameron Dawson in the final seconds of the match to deny Jannik Vestergaard a last-gasp winner for the Foxes from a free-kick.

The draw ended the Owls’ three-game losing run and saw Leicester’s lead at the summit reduced to a solitary point after Ipswich Town beat Millwall.

Foxes boss Enzo Maresca said before the trip to Hillsborough that it would be the “worst game” for them – anticipating that the embattled Owls, galvanized by new manager Danny Rohl, would see the competitive pacesetters as a major scalp to claim in an effort to turn their miserable fortunes around.

He was immediately proved right, with the Owls aggressive in their approach and audacious in their efforts to take the game to a side that are at the opposite end of the table and started the night 36 points ahead of them after 17 games.

Barry Bannan tested Foxes goalkeeper Hermansen within the first minute, while Callum Paterson had another threatening chance blocked before Bambo Diaby tested the Danish keeper again inside the opening quarter of an hour.

Ricardo Pereira saw a long-range effort deflected over the bar before Fatawu put the visitors ahead, taking a Stephy Mavididi cross down on his chest before firing home.

The Owls remained upbeat in search of a response, but a shot that George Byers dragged across the face of goal, and which Paterson failed to reach in attempt to bundle home, was as close as they came before the break.

Chances were limited for much of the second half, with the Owls kept largely subdued by a more organized Leicester performance.

Leicester’s former England striker Jamie Vardy worked hard to carve out chances, with the best coming late on when he hooked a pass into the box for Kasey McAteer, who could only put his finish wide.

The hosts finished strong to snatch the draw, with Fletcher calling Hermansen into action in the 90th minute – only for the equalizer to come moments later when a searching ball was flicked on and into the path of Hendrick to finish.

It took a save from Dawson to ensure the Owls got the point they deserved, keeping Vestergaard out at the far post with the last action of the game.