Wednesday’s youngsters produced a backs-to-the-wall battling display to beat Premier League Leeds 3-0 in a Carabao Cup penalty shootout at Hillsborough on Tuesday evening.

With the sides locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes, loanee keeper Ethan Horvath took centre stage, saving penalties from Joel Piroe and Sean Longstaff while in between those misses ex-Sheff U man Dominic Calvert-Lewin smashed his effort over the bar and onto the empty Kop.

Barry Bannan had put us one-up with the first spot kick in the shootout, Ike Ugbo made it 2-0 and when Liam Palmer tucked away the third it meant Longstaff needed to net … but Horvath, making his home debut, dived to make a fine save and seal the victory, also putting us into Wednesday’s third round draw.

Leeds, not surprisingly, dominated the game but Wednesday’s side of mainly youngsters defended heroically, rode our luck at times and came out on top with one of the results of the evening.

All this, in front of a crowd of under 8,000 as thousands of Wednesday fans boycotted the game in the on-going protests at chairman Dejphon Chansiri’s running of the club.

Despite having the majority of possession in the first half, Leeds caused few scares with the only real threat coming when Horvath blocked Brenden Aaronson’s close-range effort, while Jamal Lowe sent a 25-yard free kick just wide for the Owls.

We began the second half in lively fashion, George Brown testing Karl Darlow after a good Wednesday move while Leeds also looked far more positive after the break and Piroe went close with a 20-yard free kick.

However, it was Wednesday who took the lead in the 63rd minute. Jarvis Thornton saw his shot pushed away by Darlow and, when the ball broke to Lowe, his angled effort went through Darlow’s legs and spun over the line, with the goal later credited to the keeper.

Leeds retaliated with Horvath saving from Noah Okafor and Wilfried Gnonto in quick succession and they finally found a way through on 81 minutes when sub Jayden Bogle fired across goal and into the far corner of the net.

Calvert-Lewin missed a great chance to put the visitors ahead in added time but turned the ball wide from six yards and then Horvath denied the same player to take the tie to the drama of that penalty shootout, with Wednesday scoring their three spot kicks and Leeds missing all theirs.

Manager Henrik Pedersen said afterwards: “I’m really, really proud of the performance. The tactical discipline the boys sh0wed was incredible.

“We had a little bit of luck and also a fantastic keeper tonight who made four of five really good saves. This is what you need when you play with such a young team and a big respect to all the players.”

Pedersen also spoke of the togetherness of the squad, saying: “They are all proud in the dressing room and the senior players are very proud of the youngsters. The ones who were not in the squad were all here tonight in the stadium to support the boys.

“It was a special evening.”

Horvath, Siqueira (Palmer 81), McGhee, Weaver, Otegbayo (Emery 41), Johnson, Fusire, Shipston (Bannan 81), Thornton, J. Lowe, Brown (Grainger 65). Subs: Stretch, Palmer, Emery, Evers, Bannan, Grainger, McNeill, Ugbo. Attendance: 7,801.