Our Under-21s deservedly returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory away to Sheffield Wednesday on Monday evening, courtesy of goals in either half from Lewis Walters and substitute Frank Mulhern.

Tom Adeyemi was among the first-team squad members named in Paul Hart’s starting line-up for the Hillsborough clash, with the on-loan midfielder ineligible to feature against his parent club Cardiff City on Tuesday night.

Casper Sloth, a regular with the youngsters throughout the season, was also in the side for the Yorkshire derby, and it was the Danish midfielder who had the evening’s first sight of goal just three minutes into the game, scuffing wide from the edge of the area after being found arriving unmarked with a cross from the right.

Wednesday soon threatened at the opposite end, George Hirst forcing Eric Grimes off his line to make an important block and prevent the striker from turning the ball home from close-range, but Leeds were the ones seeing more of the ball during the early exchanges and looked the most likely to open the scoring.

Adeyemi and Sloth both fired over with speculative efforts from distance, before the deadlock was broken on 28 minutes following a swift United counter-attack.

Luke Parkin seized upon a loose ball inside the Wednesday half and drove forward, before threading Walters into the area to calmly tuck his second goal in as many matches beyond Joe Wildsmith and into the bottom corner.

The hosts looked to mount a rapid response, the outstretched Warren Clarke blazing a back-post cross high and wide of Grimes’ crossbar, but United continued to dominate as the game headed towards half-time, with both Parkin and Kalvin Phillips trying their luck.

Phillips fired a 25-yard free-kick into the arms of Wildsmith with the second half’s first sight of goal, before the young midfielder turned provider as Jack McKay collected his cross inside the area before smashing into the side-netting on the turn from a tight angle.

Jack Stobbs came the closest to an equaliser for the hosts after 68 minutes, curling a free-kick inches over Grimes’ crossbar from 20 yards out.

But United remained in pursuit of a second at the opposite end and only Wildsmith stood in their way, the Wednesday goalkeeper denying Walters with a superb flying save to tip his bending effort over the bar from the edge of the area.

Parkin then had Wildsmith sprawling across his line as the striker’s ferocious low attempt fizzed inches wide of the far post, before Parkin volleyed an Alex Purver cross over the bar as Leeds looked to double the advantage late on.

Wildsmith twice thwarted efforts from Adeyemi in the closing stages, but the keeper was helpless as substitute Mulhern met Tyler Denton’s left-wing cross to cap a fine United move and wrap up the three points with a downwards header seven minutes from time.

Under-21s team: Grimes, Purver, P McKay, Skelton, Denton, Phillips, Sloth, Adeyemi, Walters (Vieira 84), Parkin, J McKay (Mulhern 73). Subs not used: Richardson, Vann, Lyman.