United 0 Liverpool 1 - report / podcast

[Deadbat]

Report below…..and brief Podcast review here too

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The Blades suffered their third straight league defeat at the Lane as they were beaten by the European Champions, Liverpool. United lost 1-0 at home again but the performance was on the whole a very good one and the Blades made the European Champions really sweat before they took the victory. The goal came from a goalkeeping howler from Dean Henderson which was Liverpool’s first shot on target on the 70th minute. Moments earlier John Fleck had a glorious chance to give the home side the lead. Before this Liverpool had spurned chances including hitting the post juts before half time but United had been well in the game. Even after the goal United had a chance to level with Leon Clarke firing over with a great chance. Manager Wilder critiqued the performance saying he was not happy with a ‘played well, hard luck story’ as that yields no points but when he reflects, he will realise his side might have given Jurgen Klopp’s side their toughest game of the season so far.



The lunchtime kick off saw heavy rain around the stadium as the fans poured into an expectant Bramall Lane. United named an unchanged side from the one that won at Goodison Park last week with David McGoldrick still not fit and Billy Sharp suspended. There was a surprise inclusion on the bench for veteran striker Leon Clarke – a player that seemed to have no future at the Lane. Besic was also back in the match day squad. Liverpool started with all their big guns including the powerful front trio of Mane, Salah and Firmino. The bench was packed with star studded international players.



The excitement was palpable as the teams came out and there was a real buzz in the stadium as United fans got to see a game, they never thought possible three or four years ago.



Liverpool began by having all the possession and United had to stay focused in the opening moments but the first chance came to the home side as McBurnie broke out and went inside Matic and hit a shot that was pouched by Adrian. Liverpool then had a further spell of possession and Basham and Egan got vital interceptions. United were starting to forge attacks of their own and after initially going too long were now knocking the ball around well with Stevens winning a corner after good work by Robinson. Liverpool continued to probe but United were well organised and kept an excellent shape. They were steadily growing in confidence and a lovely move saw Fleck play in Robinson whose shot flashed past Adrian’s post.



Basham made a good interception before Mane and Salah nearly combined. Liverpool moved it around well but United were getting across and covering for each other but a mistake by Stevens saw Salah get in but he shot wide. United came out and attacked again with another nice move leading to McBurnie playing in Baldock but when the ball came across Lundstram’s shot was blocked.



Liverpool’s best chance came from a long punt forward from Van Dijk and United’s defence let the ball bounce and Mane was in but he sliced horrible over with just Henderson to beat. Robertson then fired wide before Liverpool had another great chance. Indecision saw Fleck and Stevens turn over possession and appeals for offside featured in the build up but the ball was transferred across and Sane looked set to score. His effort hit the base of the post and United managed to block the rebound to cheers from the crowd. The half time whistle went not long after this and United could celebrate holding their own against such a powerful side.



The second half saw United get in a good area and Fleck’s low cross was intercepted from Van Dijk leading to a corner that was eventually cleared. Another corner saw McBurnie head over with Adrian flapping before Liverpool went the other way and O’Connell had to nip in to stop the chance for Firmino. The two full backs Robertson and Alexander Arnold were getting forward really well and the latter had a free kick opportunity after the ref brought play back for an earlier foul. The set play was hit well over the bar. O’Connell was booked for timewasting as he knocked the ball away but United were not hanging on and indeed were giving as good as they got.



Mousset came on for Robinson for United before Origi replaced Henderson a few minutes after as Liverpool sought more attacking impetus as the game entered the final half hour. United were still well in the game and Mousset’s pace set up a chance for Norwood whose shot was pushed around the post from Adrian. Soon after United had a great chance to take the lead as an overload saw Fleck in on goal and after jinking inside, he shot at goal but it was blocked and McBurnie and Lundstram could not get shots on target in the melee that ensued.



This miss was to prove costly as Liverpool broke out and Origin sent a cross over that was headed out towards WIJNALDUM who hit a fierce drive but it should have been comfortable for Henderson but the keeper somehow let the ball go through his body and legs and it trickled over the line.



United were rocked by this and lost their composure for a brief spell and Henderson had to save from Sane and then after a loose ball deflected through, Salah was in on goal but the keeper stood up and saved with his feet. This kept United in the game.



Clarke came on for Norwood as United went to four at the back. The big striker had a golden chance when the excellent Fleck sent over a lovely ball and Clarke could only knock it over the bar. It would have been tight on VAR if the ball had gone in but he really should have scored. Adrian was booked for timewasting and Liverpool brought on Milner and Oxlade Chamberlain for Firmino and Made, showing that they were just wanting to hang onto what they had. United knocked the ball forward as the game went into four minutes of additional time but Liverpool stood firm with Van Dijk and Matip heading balls away as they had all day. United could not fashion another chance and the final whistle went. The home fans saluted a commendable effort and Jurgen Klopp shook every United player’s hand as they left the pitch, signifying what a gutsy effort they had put in. A disappointing result but a valiant performance that yield much hope for the remainder of the season.









United – I thought we were great. Every player tried hard and matched their more illustrious opponents. We kept a solid shape and played when we could. The team fought hard from the start to the end and had opportunities. We looked a side that was not afraid and showed how far we have come. We were right in the game throughout and went toe to toe with the European Champions. They never got away from us and we matched them for long periods. It is just such a shame that the goal came not from individual brilliant but from goalkeeping error. We are defending well this season and individually and collectively we are fine but at times we just make mistakes. I saw a stat that we have made more mistakes that has led to goals. We have to be switched on at all time and Wilder is right. It is ruthless at this level. We need to make sure we take advantage of opportunities at one end and stop making them that lead to goals at the other. Sadly, as well as we have played this season – never been dominated and held our own in every game, we need to get this side right or for all the good play, we will struggle to stay up. That’s the negatives out of the way. There are so many positives from the game. The wing backs were great, the centre backs limited the best front trio maybe in the world and the midfield got their foot in and played when they could. The front two tried hard but it was tough versus two great centre backs.



We did make some mistake and they had chances from them (Salah curled wide, Mane hit over and then they hit the post – all from individual mistakes) and then 2nd half the goal and another one when Salah got clear after we gave it away. However, Henderson maybe only had 2 or 3 saves to make all game. As many as Adrian really. We probably had as many chances as them if not as clear cut. They had 70% possession but it did not feel like they penetrated much and I thought we were disciplined and organised but not too defensive. Sure, we sat in and had to stay in a shape where we got men behind the ball but we broke well and as the game went on, we used it better, was calmer in possession and found openings.



We started slowly but then had the first chance and gradually came back into the game. We started to play some good stuff and it was a proper contest. After we had a few let offs at the end of the first half, we came out and had a good spell second half and Fleck had that good chance. The goal was a total howler. We looked a bit shell shocked and it was a shame we could not get the game to 75-80 minutes as after this we went a bit flat but then came again after the Salah miss, we had a few more opening and the big Clarke miss.



It is a real shame we did not get anything from the game as on another day we would have got at least a point and maybe we deserved it for the efforts we put in but we have to move on now. We need to keep the same level of performance for Watford next week and the games after that. The key is to cut out the mistakes and take the chances when they come. If we can do that, we will be fine. We have been quite comfortable at this level so far and I am not sure a see a side that is going to get ripped apart every week – we look a solid, organised side that plays when it can. We just need those small margins at the two ends of the field.

 

[Deadbat]

Ratings:



Henderson 4/10 – He made a couple in big games (Villa, Leeds) last season and today in our biggest of the season, he makes an absolute rick. It was abysmal and sadly the defeat is on him. He can point to his chest and say his fault as he did at full time but Wilder is right, if he wants to go on and be the best as he professes, he has to do better. He has made a few this season (Chelsea away) already that have cost us. Yes, he has made saves that have won us games and points last season but he will be disappointed with his start to this season. He made one great save from Salah after this of course but the damage was done. His kicking remains abysmal as he barely gets half way or kicks it out.



Baldock 7.5/10 – One of the revelations of the season. He has been superb getting up and down, defending well, looking quick and athletic. He had to defend more today but second half he started to attack more and showed his determination on a number of occasions. Did not see too much of Robertson or Mane really on that side and he takes a large amount of credit to that.



Stevens 8/10 – As above – he has been excellent. He made one mistake nearly letting Salah in when nobody communicated but after this he really did improve and was excellent with and without the ball. So many of our good moves came from his runs, skill and link play. He continued this second half and was often charging forward even when at 0-0. He has taken his game up another level again since promotion.



Basham 6.5/10 – This mark may seem harsh and he played ok but at times today I felt you saw Bash’s deficiencies. He did make some good tackles and blocks but he also gave it away several times. Twice in the first half he lost it and they nearly got in and he did the same second half. He needs to sharpen up in terms of moving the ball on quicker and to our players. Kept plugging away and ended up in midfield. It was all action stuff and commitment but not much in the way of end product. He tried so hard and did make some good interceptions also.



O’Connell 7.5/10 – Thought he was excellent. A few sloppy mistakes early on but then he came onto the ball, kept tight to his men and stopped them having many chances at all. He defended with intelligence and also aggression. The front two were kept relatively quiet and he was able to just concentrate and stop them turning us or running at us. Silly booking.



Egan 7.5/10 – Same as JOC. He played with determination and was resolute. He helped us keep our shape and was able to ensure we did not drop too deep either. A few headers and tackles summed up how he plays including one when he slipped and dived in with his head on the floor!



Norwood 7.5/10 – Decent performance. He managed to get his foot in and win quite a few tackles today and I also thought that after going long a bit early, he settled down and started to play it more sensibly. He showed his range of passing and even though he gave it away a few times, he still was always looking to get it down and play. Had one good shot saved before he was sacrificed near the end as we went for it. The only negative was the fact that his corners were not great.



Lundstram 7/10 – Steady game. He was quieter than he has been but decent in possession, got about the pitch and stopped them penetrating through the middle of the field. He was able to get on the ball more second half and helped us have more of the ball than we had in the first half. He looks fitter than he ever has been and to see him go against three international midfielders and be more than comfortable was great to see.



Fleck 8/10 – United’s best player. He was ok first half and did a disciplined job without having too much of the ball but then second half he was superb. He got on it, drove us forward and most if not all of our chances came from him. Maybe should have scored with the good chance when he came back onto his weaker foot – he should have hit it with his left earlier. Two or three superb crosses that nearly got us in, including the Clarke chance. Has set his standards and needs to keep to them.



Robinson 7/10 – I thought he worked hard today and had to do a job for the team being a defensive type striker for long periods. What I mean by that is he had to cover and track and keep a shape for the team. He had a few half chances with one shot hit wide – a decent effort and a header off target. Not sure he has the pace we thought he had but has shown promise. He just needs to be more consistent.



McBurnie 7/10 – Like Robinson it was tough versus two giant centre backs but he never stopped and won a few headers, flicks ons and had a few half chances (shot first half and header second half). He was able to keep chasing defenders but most of his good work was away from goal. The ball did come off him twice in the build up to the goal but that is being ultra-critical. Hoping he will play closer to the goal in the coming weeks.





Subs –



Mousset – Came on and straight away stretched the Liverpool defence with his pace with a run that led to the Norwood chance. He had another run that won a corner and he looked lively. After they scored, we went long more as we needed to try and get a knock down or chance but he again showed he can be a real asset. Will he get a start soon? I think I would not be averse to him playing next week as we will need pace on the break but the sub role is kind of working for him at the moment.



Clarke – Clarke (34y 230d) is the oldest Englishman to make his PL debut since Chris Lucketti (35y 107d), also for Sheffield United against Portsmouth in January 2007. What a story for him. He seemed out of the club but the injury and suspension means he goes up to 4th in the pecking order of the 6th strikers. He put himself about and then had that great chance near the end where he may have been just offside but needs to score – he was on the stretch and under pressure but he has to put that away.





Manager Wilder 8/10 – We set up really well with a good organised defence, the midfield pressing and the strikers pressing at the right time. We were organised and then when we got it, we played when we could. We funnelled them into the right areas and they did not break through us much at all. The chances they had came from a mistake or two punts forward. We played a very well thought out and committed game. The subs were fine as we tried to create more and he had to change the formation at the end to give us maximum chance of getting a leveller. I saw a quote which I liked which summed him and us up. We have the old-fashioned old school organisational play which restricts chances but also quite flexible and proactive with the ball. We are fusing both aspects well. We just need to cut out the errors and be more ruthless in an attacking sense.



Liverpool – They may not have been at their best but credit us to that. It was not like they had a European game or anything in the week and we gave them a really good game. The three main strikers showed flashes but none pulled us apart. They knocked it about well but actually the midfield three did not penetrate much and the full backs were not as forward as they normally are. Sure, they missed a few chances – the two at the end of the first half stand out but the first shot on target was not until they scored and outside of this which was not a great shot and the Salah chance, we had as many chances really on goal.



Liverpool are packed full of superb players and the movement, pace and skill of the front three is frightening. We saw glimpses today but they were not at the level that they normally are. I thought the wing backs pace was evidence but we kept them checked also.



They will be glad to get out of the Lane just with the win, as they were not at their best and needed a bit of luck to get over the line. City have dropped points already and Liverpool will feel they have a great chance to win the league finally but I do have concerns they don’t quite have the same depth as City – I feel that if they lost a Van Dijk or Mane/Salah for a period they would not be quite the same team. The subs are more of a drop off than City’s. Still they are a phenomenal team and Klopp I love. He is eccentric as hell but he seems a great guy and it was interesting to see him watching United train before the game, stood on half way for ages! He also was very sporting at the end.



Opponent Man of the Match – Van Dijk. He was immense. McBurnie did not play bad and tried hard but he often swatted our players away like flies. He is big, strong, quick and skilled. He plays the game at his own pace and makes it so easy. I also thought Matip was very good too and is quite underrated and will be tough for Gomez to get back in. Mane is the one that worries me the other way and showed some great skill but he was not quite at it today. Wijnaldum and Fabinho are steady midfielders but neither really have the dynamism I feel to get ahead of the strikers but then maybe they don’t need to do that!



Opponent Weak link – I thought that Salah was poor today! He is quite lazy but that is his style and comes alive when he needs to but he missed two chances today. However, Henderson was really poor. I thought that he looked slow and pedestrian and also looked for cheap fouls. I suppose you need players like him and Milner but Henderson stood out as technically the major weak link in the side, at least on what I saw on the game today.



Referee/Officials/VAR – Anthony Taylor is one of those robotic types that seems to just go with whatever the rulebook tells him and sadly that means common sense going out of the window and lots of yellow and red cards (he has brandished the most in the top flight). I feared the worst, but today he was very good I felt and did not fall for some of the Liverpool theatrics. He kept waving things away when they hit the deck which I liked. He gave a few fouls when he fell for the falls but for the most part, he kept the game flowing and not sure any calls were that controversial. He was not helped by his assistants who missed the ball going out twice – once so blatantly for a corner when Adrian went to try and keep it in. Be interesting to see if Clarke’s had gone in – he looked a smidgeon offside but the same assistant had not kept up with play all half so no surprise he was nowhere near in line here.





Crowd/Atmosphere etc – A great atmosphere at a pretty much sold out Bramall Lane (only a few restricted view seats spare). The old place was rocking before the game and continued into the game. The Greasy Chip Butty was as loud as it has been for some time. As the game went on, the fans cheered every miss, every tackle and every time we attacked. It was a really supportive environment. Gutted we did not score as the whole ground would have surely erupted. Liverpool fans were very quiet and you barely heard them till the chant about ‘European Champions, you’ll never sing that!’ United’s riposte of ‘League One Champions, you’ll never sing that!’ To their credit, the Liverpool fans applauded this amusing reply!



The noise levels were good throughout and it had a real great feeling to everything about the day till that sickener of a goal flattened most of the ground. The only knock for me was the amount of people coming in late or going to half time early and even leaving early! We have waited all this time for games like this but getting a pie or a pint or getting away early seems to be more of a focus for some. Cannot change people but just find it odd.



It is concerning we have lost 3 games in a row though when the Lane was supposed to be where we would get most of our points – the first time since 1990 to lose three straight at the Lane at this level. However, if we keep the performances going and the crowd stays with it, surely, we can turn this form and results around. Hoping it is a similar level when we face Arsenal in a few weeks in what should be another cracking atmosphere.

 

[Antonb]

fantastic report, loved reading that, thankyou. And yes, harsh on Basham, no one in the back 3 was less than a 7

 

[Deadbat]

fantastic report, loved reading that, thankyou. And yes, harsh on Basham, no one in the back 3 was less than a 7

He gave it away in silly areas quite a lot - his touch was not quite assured. I love him to bits but he stood out as one of our weaker or less excellent players. Noone played badly.

 

[Dnblade]

Felt the same when the goal went in...felt more gutted than the Leicester and Southampton games,where we were also worth a point.
Fleck MoM for me aswell,just edging out Egan who was immense at the back.

 

[Stretch]

An undoubted howler by Dean, but 4/10 is a tad harsh.

 

[Northyorksblade]

An undoubted howler by Dean, but 4/10 is a tad harsh.

I don't think so. It cost us at least a point. Should have been a routine save

 

[ChrisDysonHT]

Ratings:



Henderson 4/10 – He made a couple in big games (Villa, Leeds) last season and today in our biggest of the season, he makes an absolute rick. It was abysmal and sadly the defeat is on him. He can point to his chest and say his fault as he did at full time but Wilder is right, if he wants to go on and be the best as he professes, he has to do better. He has made a few this season (Chelsea away) already that have cost us. Yes, he has made saves that have won us games and points last season but he will be disappointed with his start to this season. He made one great save from Salah after this of course but the damage was done. His kicking remains abysmal as he barely gets half way or kicks it out.



Baldock 7.5/10 – One of the revelations of the season. He has been superb getting up and down, defending well, looking quick and athletic. He had to defend more today but second half he started to attack more and showed his determination on a number of occasions. Did not see too much of Robertson or Mane really on that side and he takes a large amount of credit to that.



Stevens 8/10 – As above – he has been excellent. He made one mistake nearly letting Salah in when nobody communicated but after this he really did improve and was excellent with and without the ball. So many of our good moves came from his runs, skill and link play. He continued this second half and was often charging forward even when at 0-0. He has taken his game up another level again since promotion.



Basham 6.5/10 – This mark may seem harsh and he played ok but at times today I felt you saw Bash’s deficiencies. He did make some good tackles and blocks but he also gave it away several times. Twice in the first half he lost it and they nearly got in and he did the same second half. He needs to sharpen up in terms of moving the ball on quicker and to our players. Kept plugging away and ended up in midfield. It was all action stuff and commitment but not much in the way of end product. He tried so hard and did make some good interceptions also.



O’Connell 7.5/10 – Thought he was excellent. A few sloppy mistakes early on but then he came onto the ball, kept tight to his men and stopped them having many chances at all. He defended with intelligence and also aggression. The front two were kept relatively quiet and he was able to just concentrate and stop them turning us or running at us. Silly booking.



Egan 7.5/10 – Same as JOC. He played with determination and was resolute. He helped us keep our shape and was able to ensure we did not drop too deep either. A few headers and tackles summed up how he plays including one when he slipped and dived in with his head on the floor!



Norwood 7.5/10 – Decent performance. He managed to get his foot in and win quite a few tackles today and I also thought that after going long a bit early, he settled down and started to play it more sensibly. He showed his range of passing and even though he gave it away a few times, he still was always looking to get it down and play. Had one good shot saved before he was sacrificed near the end as we went for it. The only negative was the fact that his corners were not great.



Lundstram 7/10 – Steady game. He was quieter than he has been but decent in possession, got about the pitch and stopped them penetrating through the middle of the field. He was able to get on the ball more second half and helped us have more of the ball than we had in the first half. He looks fitter than he ever has been and to see him go against three international midfielders and be more than comfortable was great to see.



Fleck 8/10 – United’s best player. He was ok first half and did a disciplined job without having too much of the ball but then second half he was superb. He got on it, drove us forward and most if not all of our chances came from him. Maybe should have scored with the good chance when he came back onto his weaker foot – he should have hit it with his left earlier. Two or three superb crosses that nearly got us in, including the Clarke chance. Has set his standards and needs to keep to them.



Robinson 7/10 – I thought he worked hard today and had to do a job for the team being a defensive type striker for long periods. What I mean by that is he had to cover and track and keep a shape for the team. He had a few half chances with one shot hit wide – a decent effort and a header off target. Not sure he has the pace we thought he had but has shown promise. He just needs to be more consistent.



McBurnie 7/10 – Like Robinson it was tough versus two giant centre backs but he never stopped and won a few headers, flicks ons and had a few half chances (shot first half and header second half). He was able to keep chasing defenders but most of his good work was away from goal. The ball did come off him twice in the build up to the goal but that is being ultra-critical. Hoping he will play closer to the goal in the coming weeks.





Subs –



Mousset – Came on and straight away stretched the Liverpool defence with his pace with a run that led to the Norwood chance. He had another run that won a corner and he looked lively. After they scored, we went long more as we needed to try and get a knock down or chance but he again showed he can be a real asset. Will he get a start soon? I think I would not be averse to him playing next week as we will need pace on the break but the sub role is kind of working for him at the moment.



Clarke – Clarke (34y 230d) is the oldest Englishman to make his PL debut since Chris Lucketti (35y 107d), also for Sheffield United against Portsmouth in January 2007. What a story for him. He seemed out of the club but the injury and suspension means he goes up to 4th in the pecking order of the 6th strikers. He put himself about and then had that great chance near the end where he may have been just offside but needs to score – he was on the stretch and under pressure but he has to put that away.





Manager Wilder 8/10 – We set up really well with a good organised defence, the midfield pressing and the strikers pressing at the right time. We were organised and then when we got it, we played when we could. We funnelled them into the right areas and they did not break through us much at all. The chances they had came from a mistake or two punts forward. We played a very well thought out and committed game. The subs were fine as we tried to create more and he had to change the formation at the end to give us maximum chance of getting a leveller. I saw a quote which I liked which summed him and us up. We have the old-fashioned old school organisational play which restricts chances but also quite flexible and proactive with the ball. We are fusing both aspects well. We just need to cut out the errors and be more ruthless in an attacking sense.



Liverpool – They may not have been at their best but credit us to that. It was not like they had a European game or anything in the week and we gave them a really good game. The three main strikers showed flashes but none pulled us apart. They knocked it about well but actually the midfield three did not penetrate much and the full backs were not as forward as they normally are. Sure, they missed a few chances – the two at the end of the first half stand out but the first shot on target was not until they scored and outside of this which was not a great shot and the Salah chance, we had as many chances really on goal.



Liverpool are packed full of superb players and the movement, pace and skill of the front three is frightening. We saw glimpses today but they were not at the level that they normally are. I thought the wing backs pace was evidence but we kept them checked also.



They will be glad to get out of the Lane just with the win, as they were not at their best and needed a bit of luck to get over the line. City have dropped points already and Liverpool will feel they have a great chance to win the league finally but I do have concerns they don’t quite have the same depth as City – I feel that if they lost a Van Dijk or Mane/Salah for a period they would not be quite the same team. The subs are more of a drop off than City’s. Still they are a phenomenal team and Klopp I love. He is eccentric as hell but he seems a great guy and it was interesting to see him watching United train before the game, stood on half way for ages! He also was very sporting at the end.



Opponent Man of the Match – Van Dijk. He was immense. McBurnie did not play bad and tried hard but he often swatted our players away like flies. He is big, strong, quick and skilled. He plays the game at his own pace and makes it so easy. I also thought Matip was very good too and is quite underrated and will be tough for Gomez to get back in. Mane is the one that worries me the other way and showed some great skill but he was not quite at it today. Wijnaldum and Fabinho are steady midfielders but neither really have the dynamism I feel to get ahead of the strikers but then maybe they don’t need to do that!



Opponent Weak link – I thought that Salah was poor today! He is quite lazy but that is his style and comes alive when he needs to but he missed two chances today. However, Henderson was really poor. I thought that he looked slow and pedestrian and also looked for cheap fouls. I suppose you need players like him and Milner but Henderson stood out as technically the major weak link in the side, at least on what I saw on the game today.



Referee/Officials/VAR – Anthony Taylor is one of those robotic types that seems to just go with whatever the rulebook tells him and sadly that means common sense going out of the window and lots of yellow and red cards (he has brandished the most in the top flight). I feared the worst, but today he was very good I felt and did not fall for some of the Liverpool theatrics. He kept waving things away when they hit the deck which I liked. He gave a few fouls when he fell for the falls but for the most part, he kept the game flowing and not sure any calls were that controversial. He was not helped by his assistants who missed the ball going out twice – once so blatantly for a corner when Adrian went to try and keep it in. Be interesting to see if Clarke’s had gone in – he looked a smidgeon offside but the same assistant had not kept up with play all half so no surprise he was nowhere near in line here.





Crowd/Atmosphere etc – A great atmosphere at a pretty much sold out Bramall Lane (only a few restricted view seats spare). The old place was rocking before the game and continued into the game. The Greasy Chip Butty was as loud as it has been for some time. As the game went on, the fans cheered every miss, every tackle and every time we attacked. It was a really supportive environment. Gutted we did not score as the whole ground would have surely erupted. Liverpool fans were very quiet and you barely heard them till the chant about ‘European Champions, you’ll never sing that!’ United’s riposte of ‘League One Champions, you’ll never sing that!’ To their credit, the Liverpool fans applauded this amusing reply!



The noise levels were good throughout and it had a real great feeling to everything about the day till that sickener of a goal flattened most of the ground. The only knock for me was the amount of people coming in late or going to half time early and even leaving early! We have waited all this time for games like this but getting a pie or a pint or getting away early seems to be more of a focus for some. Cannot change people but just find it odd.



It is concerning we have lost 3 games in a row though when the Lane was supposed to be where we would get most of our points – the first time since 1990 to lose three straight at the Lane at this level. However, if we keep the performances going and the crowd stays with it, surely, we can turn this form and results around. Hoping it is a similar level when we face Arsenal in a few weeks in what should be another cracking atmosphere.

Brilliant as ever .... Im gutted still we didn't get a win

 

[Rodley]

6/10 for Basham?! WTF

 

[Stretch]

I don't think so. It cost us at least a point. Should have been a routine save

Yes but he also stopped Salah making it 2 with a great save, thereby keeping us in the game.

I could just as easily knock Fleck's score down for trying to pass a clear cut chance in, but that wouldn't be fair either.

 

[Revolution]

Pleased with the performance in the whole. But we need to start scoring more (hard yesterday, I appreciate) and we need to cut out these unforced errors.

At the end it felt like the classic Sheffield United glorious defeat. We have largely eliminated those under Wilder and done better.

The team needs to keep up its performance levels, be more ruthless, and win next week. That is well within our capabilities.

 

[LSF]

6 for Basham! That's very harsh. Criticism for criticism's sake.
(And I rarely post these days unless something irks me)

 

[coaxingstar71]

Thanks for the report Deadbat , but are you using your phone to write it again? Matic? Sane?

One observation I have from the game and quite a few of the others is that sometimes I feel a number our players tend to panic when they've got the ball and end up giving it away instead of holding it up. I think some of them still need to believe in their own abilities.

 

[Blend-it-like-Harris]

Credit due to our Centre-backs for their overall performance, but the speculative route-one punt upfield was the clearest and easiest chance in the match, and their ratings would have been knocked down a notch or two had Mane scored.

 

[Woodwardfan]

As ever Deadbat not far off perfect reporting. Ratings are always personal.

My MOM was Egan, closely followed by O'Connell. For the same reason you are hard on Henderson for a huge mistake, Fleck did two big ones and was lucky not to be punished.

The front 2 are isolated with the flat midfield, we miss the 'Duffy role' going forward but it is a trade-off in the interests of solidity, particularly against the big teams. I think McBurnie and robinson and indeed Mousset would all benefit from L.Freeman playing and he does get back and gets tackles in. I'm sure it will evolve before long when we have tested ourselves at this level. Lundstram has the eye for a long through ball but we have few 'slide-rule passers of the ball' in the final third. Freeman can drive past a man too. Fleck did it well second half but was fighting a lone battle for long spells. Final balls/ assists are gold dust in any game. I was disappointed Freeman didn't get on for the final 20 minutes at least.

The shot from the edge of the box after a defensive header out cost us against Leicester and again this time. The goals could not have entered the net at such different velocities but the fact remains their players got the 'second ball' in space. O'Connell made a valiant effort to block the shot this time but was never near, as did Egan on Barnes that time. Where were our midfielders? Who patrols the edge of the box for that nod or fist away?

Agree the ref did well, surprisingly well

At the risk of upsetting some fans, as well as Stevens and Baldock play, they do not create enough goal chances. With a flat midfield our wing backs are important to support the front 2 who are isolated. Of course Liverpool present their own challenges and we 'can't go toe-to-toe' as Wilder says. Their full backs manage to create real danger well up the pitch though. and it really helps the strikers.

Anyway we play Watford next week and it should not be left to the front 2 to create and convert their own chances by pursuing long balls. They need more support and they need a goal or two to kick them on.

The flat central midfield suits Lundstram but it doesn't suit Besic, Osborn, L.Freeman. Not sure it suits Norwood that much either. I'm thinking aloud here and welcome/expect views.

 

[Deadbat]

6/10 for Basham?! WTF

Watched the game back today and I agree with the original mark i gave - he gave the ball away in stupid areas 4 or 5 times. 2nd half he did it twice in quick succession and we had to get back and block.

 

[Deadbat]

Thanks for the report Deadbat , but are you using your phone to write it again? Matic? Sane?

One observation I have from the game and quite a few of the others is that sometimes I feel a number our players tend to panic when they've got the ball and end up giving it away instead of holding it up. I think some of them still need to believe in their own abilities.

Yeah meant Matip and Mane of course!

 

[Deadbat]

Pleased with the performance in the whole. But we need to start scoring more (hard yesterday, I appreciate) and we need to cut out these unforced errors.

At the end it felt like the classic Sheffield United glorious defeat. We have largely eliminated those under Wilder and done better.

The team needs to keep up its performance levels, be more ruthless, and win next week. That is well within our capabilities.

Yeah its odd isnt it. For all the great play and battling, we keep making mistakes and lacked composure at the top of the field. That is the frustrating part...We are playing well but not sure we have enough at the top of the field to score enough goals. It is a ruthless league and well played 0-1's that we have had a few times this season will see us in the bottom 3.

 

[GrayBlade]

Ratings:



Henderson 4/10 – He made a couple in big games (Villa, Leeds) last season and today in our biggest of the season, he makes an absolute rick. It was abysmal and sadly the defeat is on him. He can point to his chest and say his fault as he did at full time but Wilder is right, if he wants to go on and be the best as he professes, he has to do better. He has made a few this season (Chelsea away) already that have cost us. Yes, he has made saves that have won us games and points last season but he will be disappointed with his start to this season. He made one great save from Salah after this of course but the damage was done. His kicking remains abysmal as he barely gets half way or kicks it out.



Baldock 7.5/10 – One of the revelations of the season. He has been superb getting up and down, defending well, looking quick and athletic. He had to defend more today but second half he started to attack more and showed his determination on a number of occasions. Did not see too much of Robertson or Mane really on that side and he takes a large amount of credit to that.



Stevens 8/10 – As above – he has been excellent. He made one mistake nearly letting Salah in when nobody communicated but after this he really did improve and was excellent with and without the ball. So many of our good moves came from his runs, skill and link play. He continued this second half and was often charging forward even when at 0-0. He has taken his game up another level again since promotion.



Basham 6.5/10 – This mark may seem harsh and he played ok but at times today I felt you saw Bash’s deficiencies. He did make some good tackles and blocks but he also gave it away several times. Twice in the first half he lost it and they nearly got in and he did the same second half. He needs to sharpen up in terms of moving the ball on quicker and to our players. Kept plugging away and ended up in midfield. It was all action stuff and commitment but not much in the way of end product. He tried so hard and did make some good interceptions also.



O’Connell 7.5/10 – Thought he was excellent. A few sloppy mistakes early on but then he came onto the ball, kept tight to his men and stopped them having many chances at all. He defended with intelligence and also aggression. The front two were kept relatively quiet and he was able to just concentrate and stop them turning us or running at us. Silly booking.



Egan 7.5/10 – Same as JOC. He played with determination and was resolute. He helped us keep our shape and was able to ensure we did not drop too deep either. A few headers and tackles summed up how he plays including one when he slipped and dived in with his head on the floor!



Norwood 7.5/10 – Decent performance. He managed to get his foot in and win quite a few tackles today and I also thought that after going long a bit early, he settled down and started to play it more sensibly. He showed his range of passing and even though he gave it away a few times, he still was always looking to get it down and play. Had one good shot saved before he was sacrificed near the end as we went for it. The only negative was the fact that his corners were not great.



Lundstram 7/10 – Steady game. He was quieter than he has been but decent in possession, got about the pitch and stopped them penetrating through the middle of the field. He was able to get on the ball more second half and helped us have more of the ball than we had in the first half. He looks fitter than he ever has been and to see him go against three international midfielders and be more than comfortable was great to see.



Fleck 8/10 – United’s best player. He was ok first half and did a disciplined job without having too much of the ball but then second half he was superb. He got on it, drove us forward and most if not all of our chances came from him. Maybe should have scored with the good chance when he came back onto his weaker foot – he should have hit it with his left earlier. Two or three superb crosses that nearly got us in, including the Clarke chance. Has set his standards and needs to keep to them.



Robinson 7/10 – I thought he worked hard today and had to do a job for the team being a defensive type striker for long periods. What I mean by that is he had to cover and track and keep a shape for the team. He had a few half chances with one shot hit wide – a decent effort and a header off target. Not sure he has the pace we thought he had but has shown promise. He just needs to be more consistent.



McBurnie 7/10 – Like Robinson it was tough versus two giant centre backs but he never stopped and won a few headers, flicks ons and had a few half chances (shot first half and header second half). He was able to keep chasing defenders but most of his good work was away from goal. The ball did come off him twice in the build up to the goal but that is being ultra-critical. Hoping he will play closer to the goal in the coming weeks.





Subs –



Mousset – Came on and straight away stretched the Liverpool defence with his pace with a run that led to the Norwood chance. He had another run that won a corner and he looked lively. After they scored, we went long more as we needed to try and get a knock down or chance but he again showed he can be a real asset. Will he get a start soon? I think I would not be averse to him playing next week as we will need pace on the break but the sub role is kind of working for him at the moment.



Clarke – Clarke (34y 230d) is the oldest Englishman to make his PL debut since Chris Lucketti (35y 107d), also for Sheffield United against Portsmouth in January 2007. What a story for him. He seemed out of the club but the injury and suspension means he goes up to 4th in the pecking order of the 6th strikers. He put himself about and then had that great chance near the end where he may have been just offside but needs to score – he was on the stretch and under pressure but he has to put that away.





Manager Wilder 8/10 – We set up really well with a good organised defence, the midfield pressing and the strikers pressing at the right time. We were organised and then when we got it, we played when we could. We funnelled them into the right areas and they did not break through us much at all. The chances they had came from a mistake or two punts forward. We played a very well thought out and committed game. The subs were fine as we tried to create more and he had to change the formation at the end to give us maximum chance of getting a leveller. I saw a quote which I liked which summed him and us up. We have the old-fashioned old school organisational play which restricts chances but also quite flexible and proactive with the ball. We are fusing both aspects well. We just need to cut out the errors and be more ruthless in an attacking sense.



Liverpool – They may not have been at their best but credit us to that. It was not like they had a European game or anything in the week and we gave them a really good game. The three main strikers showed flashes but none pulled us apart. They knocked it about well but actually the midfield three did not penetrate much and the full backs were not as forward as they normally are. Sure, they missed a few chances – the two at the end of the first half stand out but the first shot on target was not until they scored and outside of this which was not a great shot and the Salah chance, we had as many chances really on goal.



Liverpool are packed full of superb players and the movement, pace and skill of the front three is frightening. We saw glimpses today but they were not at the level that they normally are. I thought the wing backs pace was evidence but we kept them checked also.



They will be glad to get out of the Lane just with the win, as they were not at their best and needed a bit of luck to get over the line. City have dropped points already and Liverpool will feel they have a great chance to win the league finally but I do have concerns they don’t quite have the same depth as City – I feel that if they lost a Van Dijk or Mane/Salah for a period they would not be quite the same team. The subs are more of a drop off than City’s. Still they are a phenomenal team and Klopp I love. He is eccentric as hell but he seems a great guy and it was interesting to see him watching United train before the game, stood on half way for ages! He also was very sporting at the end.



Opponent Man of the Match – Van Dijk. He was immense. McBurnie did not play bad and tried hard but he often swatted our players away like flies. He is big, strong, quick and skilled. He plays the game at his own pace and makes it so easy. I also thought Matip was very good too and is quite underrated and will be tough for Gomez to get back in. Mane is the one that worries me the other way and showed some great skill but he was not quite at it today. Wijnaldum and Fabinho are steady midfielders but neither really have the dynamism I feel to get ahead of the strikers but then maybe they don’t need to do that!



Opponent Weak link – I thought that Salah was poor today! He is quite lazy but that is his style and comes alive when he needs to but he missed two chances today. However, Henderson was really poor. I thought that he looked slow and pedestrian and also looked for cheap fouls. I suppose you need players like him and Milner but Henderson stood out as technically the major weak link in the side, at least on what I saw on the game today.



Referee/Officials/VAR – Anthony Taylor is one of those robotic types that seems to just go with whatever the rulebook tells him and sadly that means common sense going out of the window and lots of yellow and red cards (he has brandished the most in the top flight). I feared the worst, but today he was very good I felt and did not fall for some of the Liverpool theatrics. He kept waving things away when they hit the deck which I liked. He gave a few fouls when he fell for the falls but for the most part, he kept the game flowing and not sure any calls were that controversial. He was not helped by his assistants who missed the ball going out twice – once so blatantly for a corner when Adrian went to try and keep it in. Be interesting to see if Clarke’s had gone in – he looked a smidgeon offside but the same assistant had not kept up with play all half so no surprise he was nowhere near in line here.





Crowd/Atmosphere etc – A great atmosphere at a pretty much sold out Bramall Lane (only a few restricted view seats spare). The old place was rocking before the game and continued into the game. The Greasy Chip Butty was as loud as it has been for some time. As the game went on, the fans cheered every miss, every tackle and every time we attacked. It was a really supportive environment. Gutted we did not score as the whole ground would have surely erupted. Liverpool fans were very quiet and you barely heard them till the chant about ‘European Champions, you’ll never sing that!’ United’s riposte of ‘League One Champions, you’ll never sing that!’ To their credit, the Liverpool fans applauded this amusing reply!



The noise levels were good throughout and it had a real great feeling to everything about the day till that sickener of a goal flattened most of the ground. The only knock for me was the amount of people coming in late or going to half time early and even leaving early! We have waited all this time for games like this but getting a pie or a pint or getting away early seems to be more of a focus for some. Cannot change people but just find it odd.



It is concerning we have lost 3 games in a row though when the Lane was supposed to be where we would get most of our points – the first time since 1990 to lose three straight at the Lane at this level. However, if we keep the performances going and the crowd stays with it, surely, we can turn this form and results around. Hoping it is a similar level when we face Arsenal in a few weeks in what should be another cracking atmosphere.

I don’t think there will have been any seats left in the end DB. I checked on Friday evening and there was just 2 seats available in the kop corner.

 

[Deadbat]

I don’t think there will have been any seats left in the end DB. I checked on Friday evening and there was just 2 seats available in the kop corner.

Well there were around 30 or 40 seats empty in the corner and a few down near the bottom of the Kop. Maybe restricted view but it was not a sell out.

 

[Sheffsteel]

.Crowd/Atmosphere etc – A great atmosphere at a pretty much sold out Bramall Lane (only a few restricted view seats spare).

The match was an official sell out. Those few empty seats are SAG restrictions.
There’s a few at the far edges of the Kop that won’t be made available for sale, think it’s because they are more of a “no view” due to the tv room being there.
We can’t sell the front 2 rows of the BLUT and areas on A block bottom corner on the BLUT.
South stand and John Street corners near the corner flags at the away end.

 

[Deadbat]

The match was an official sell out. Those few empty seats are SAG restrictions.
There’s a few at the far edges of the Kop that won’t be made available for sale, think it’s because they are more of a “no view” due to the tv room being there.
We can’t sell the front 2 rows of the BLUT and areas on A block bottom corner on the BLUT.
South stand and John Street corners near the corner flags at the away end.

I have seen nothing anywhere post match to say it was sold out and as I say saw a handful of empty seats in the corner - not restricted view.

If it was sold out you think club would have made more of a thing of - announced it pre match or advertised this in the report but it has not been quoted as that anywhere?

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Fleck 8/10 – United’s best player. He was ok first half and did a disciplined job without having too much of the ball but then second half he was superb. He got on it, drove us forward and most if not all of our chances came from him. Maybe should have scored with the good chance when he came back onto his weaker foot – he should have hit it with his left earlier.

Actually, when he cut inside he should have squared to a completely unmarked Lundstram in the middle of the goal who could actually hit it with his stronger foot, as he did against Palace. Even if it hadn’t been blocked by a defender, it seemed a fairly unlikely event that Fleck would score with his right foot in that situation.

 

[Paisley Blade]

I have seen nothing anywhere post match to say it was sold out and as I say saw a handful of empty seats in the corner - not restricted view.

If it was sold out you think club would have made more of a thing of - announced it pre match or advertised this in the report but it has not been quoted as that anywhere?

Agreed , there would have been an official announcement had it been sold out. I accept it's semantics but there must have been a handful of tickets left.

It's interesting that the game against Ipswich sold out , and the Godawful game v Stevenage in 2012 also. All 3 were live on TV.

Cost may be a factor , or maybe casuals are more drawn to the theatre of do or die games rather than watching the European champs?

 

[Sheffsteel]

I have seen nothing anywhere post match to say it was sold out and as I say saw a handful of empty seats in the corner - not restricted view.

If it was sold out you think club would have made more of a thing of - announced it pre match or advertised this in the report but it has not been quoted as that anywhere?

Agree but the last ticket was sold at 9.30am Saturday morning and the ability to buy tickets taken off the website.
Assume the club didn’t think it necessary to advise potential fans 5 hours before kick-off that no further tickets were available for sale.

I’m down at the club in mid week. I’ll pop in the ticket office and ask
However sometimes I get the impression that the ticket office staff know very little and you get a different answer dependent on who you ask.

 

[GrayBlade]

Well there were around 30 or 40 seats empty in the corner and a few down near the bottom of the Kop. Maybe restricted view but it was not a sell out.

Strange one that. Like I said the plan showed just 2 available seats late on Friday night both in the corner.

I’ve noticed in the week the odd seat becoming re-available I assume because somebody has cancelled, but with only one ticket per person that wouldn’t explain a block of 20-30 together.

 

[Berlin Blade]

I liked the podcast. It was a tad unprofessional but I kind of liked that and don’t think you should try and change it. I really like Bladespod, but think you could offer a nice contrasting podcast for me, specifically to listen to.

 

[Webding]

Shambolic by design. Or rather a total lack of planning.

 

[I should coco]

I don't think so. It cost us at least a point. Should have been a routine save

I thought he was too busy with the shithousing and forget his main job is to keep the ball out of the net.

I remain to be convinced as to whether he is yet PL level. A good keeper certainly, but wat other PL side would have him as their number one?

By way of comparison, Adrian (a number two) just swept up and claimed everything effortlessly.

 

[Woodwardfan]

I thought he was too busy with the shithousing and forget his main job is to keep the ball out of the net.

I remain to be convinced as to whether he is yet PL level. A good keeper certainly, but wat other PL side would have him as their number one?

By way of comparison, Adrian (a number two) just swept up and claimed everything effortlessly.

Adrian would have been a good signing. Somebody on here said so when it was possible.

Wilder is 'investing' in Henderson. Should he not make it at MU then we will be an obvious choice for him if we are still competing, say in 2 years time.

Young keepers make mistakes. Old keepers make mistakes too.