The Owls were ousted from the FA Cup by holders Manchester City at Hillsborough as a single second half goal from Sergio Aguero saw the visitors through.
The Argentinian hitman found the net in the second half to cap a dominant City display. Twice they hit the woodwork before finally finding the net, although Wednesday were far from disgraced in front of the worldwide TV audience.
Pep Guardiola’s side controlled the contest but the Owls were defensively sound, resolute and organised.
And further upfield they were anything but overawed by City’s all-stars in the early exchanges, with Jacob Murphy sending a long ranger narrowly wide of Claudio Bravo’s far post.
But the visitors hit back and Aguero might have done better from six yards following an accurate Benjamin Mendy cross.
City were knocking on the door and possession was in the Wednesday half for the lion’s share of proceedings.
Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez had chances from which neither could profit and Nicolas Otamendi so nearly did on the half-hour.
Mahrez delivered a teasing set piece into the area, Otamendi’s headed purchase was good but the crossbar came to Wednesday’s rescue.
The interval came and went with the Premier League side in the driving seat, although Joe Wildsmith – making his first appearance of the season – was largely untroubled.
Wildsmith smothered a toe-poked effort from Aguero and was relieved to see a fierce Mendy drive smash against the frame of the goal for the second time.
Moments later Wildsmith did impress, diving low to keep out a Bernardo Silva snapshot as City turned the screw.
And the pressure finally told on 53 minutes. Aguero turned on the angle in the box to pull the trigger and Wildsmith appeared to save only for the ball to spin agonisingly up and over the line.
That was the platform the cup holders required and from that juncture their grip on the trophy was never going to slip.
Mahrez flashed wide before Wildsmith made a super double save from John Stones and then Rodrigo.
The Owls stayed on to the back foot, although there was one glimmer of hope with 10 minutes to go when substitutes Alex Hunt and Steven Fletcher combined, with the latter a whisker away from the former’s intelligent feed.
Wildsmith prevented Raheem Sterling doubling the lead at the last but overall it was not to be for Wednesday as the tie stayed true to the form book.
Wednesday: Wildsmith, Palmer, Iorfa, Börner (Lees 46), Fox, Murphy, Bannan, Lee (Hunt 63), Pelupessy, Da Cruz, Forestieri (Fletcher 56)