Kieran Lee fired Sheffield Wednesday into a 1-0 lead at Preston North End with a goal on the stroke of half time.
Midfielder Lee played a neat one-two with Fernando Forestieri before rolling the ball into the back of the net to bag his first goal of the season.
In a scrappy affair, Preston were dealt an early blow when Paddy McCarthy, on his debut after joining on loan from Crystal Palace, had to be replaced by Chris Humphrey after picking up an injury.
The Lilywhites created little in the way of clear-cut chances as they try to end a sequence of seven league matches without a victory.
