A scintillating first half display was the springboard for Wednesday to bounce back into the top six as they overcame promotion rivals MK Dons in Buckinghamshire.

Star man Barry Bannan was the architect, providing two assists for Saido Berahino and Lee Gregory before converting a wonder-goal to put the visitors in complete control.

It was far from plain sailing, though, as Troy Parrott reduced the arrears on the stroke of half time and Scott Twine did likewise late on but it was not enough as the Dons’ 15-match unbeaten run came to an end.

Darren Moore’s men made the perfect start, hitting the front inside 10 minutes. And it was a bittersweet passage of play for MK goalkeeper Jamie Cumming.

Cumming shone in front of the live Sky TV cameras as he dived low to his left to expertly divert a slide rule Gregory shot round the post but had no time to bask in the moment as his error allowed Wednesday the lead from the resulting corner.

Bannan’s feed found Berahino, whose shot was too hot to handle and the ball squirmed through Cumming’s grasp to nestle in the net.

Wednesday were in control, playing their passing game, and on 20 minutes it was 2-0. That man Bannan was at the heart once more, this time delivering a corner on to the foot of Gregory, who volleyed home to double the lead.

But there was nothing routine about the third – indeed it ranks as a Goal of the Season contender.

Bannan was a full 40 yards out when a bouncing ball came his way. The skipper looked up, spotted the keeper off his line, and executed the most delightful dipping lob that sailed over a stunned Cumming and in.

But just as the Owls were heading towards half time in dreamland, they suffered a double blow. First, Harlee Dean succumbed to injury and moments later the hosts clawed at the deficit.

Parrott burst into space down the left channel on 40 minutes, cut inside, and did superbly well to clip past Bailey Peacock-Farrell with four defenders on his trail.

The goal certainly sparked the home side into life and they came within a lick of paint of pulling a second goal back moments after the restart.

Conor Coventry took possession 25 yards out and unleashed an unstoppable shot that cannoned against the frame of Peacock-Farrell’s goal.

Twine dragged a long range effort wide and the Owls responded with Marvin Johnson lashing a volley narrowly off target as the visitors began to take the sting from the game.

The possession game resumed and, a Twine effort hoofed clear by Peacock-Farrell aside, MK struggled to make any kind of impact in the final third.

That was until the fourth minute of stoppage time when the Dons pulled another one back. Twine lined up a set piece from distance and his strike curled away from the diving Peacock-Farrell to set up a grandstand finish.

But despite throwing men forward at every opportunity, the Dons could make no further inroads on a Wednesday side that hung on to post what could prove a vital victory.

Wednesday: Peacock-Farrell, Hunt, Storey, Dean (Dunkley 40), Palmer, Johnson, Byers, Bannan (Paterson 81), Dele-Bashiru, Gregory (Mendez-Laing 90+2), Berahino

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— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) April 16, 2022