Coolblade
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- Joined
- May 11, 2015
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A few observations from the stats (from the pub):
Every club has one or two away wins per season that don’t make sense on paper, not in the numbers, not in the shot count, not in the territory, not in the general flow of the match, and yet you walk away with three points wondering how on earth that happened.
Portsmouth did everything except score. They fired 23 shots, forced 7 saves, hit the post, flooded us with 41 touches in our box to our 10, put up 2.51 xG to our 0.99, completed 400 passes to our 294, and held 58.5% of the ball. On any normal afternoon, that ends 3–1 or 4–1, and we come home feeling sorry for ourselves.
But football doesn’t reward dominance. Football rewards moments. And when our moment finally came, in the 90th minute, after an entire match of defending for our lives: Campbell found the pass, Brooks found the movement, and we found a goal that won us the points.
Team Set‑Up: Two up top, deep block, survive‑first football
For a change we started with more of a 4‑4‑2, with Bamford and Cannon as a (slightly offset) front two, Brooks on the right, Hamer drifting inside from the left, and Phillips–Soumaré forming a double pivot tasked with slowing down Portsmouth’s midfield rotations.
Out of possession, we dropped straight into the compact 4‑4‑2 block, to protect the central channel, funnel Portsmouth wide, and trust our centre‑backs to deal with the aerial bombardment.
In possession, we simply couldn’t build the shape we’ve used lately. Portsmouth’s press was too aggressive, their tempo too high, their full-backs too advanced. We ended up forced into clearances, long balls, and counter-pressing moments.
First Half: Portsmouth came out flying. They swarmed our midfield. They overloaded the flanks. They peppered Cooper with shots. In the opening 45 they produced chance after chance, but Cooper shut all of them down.
Meanwhile we couldn’t play out. Soumaré completed just 47% of his passes before being hooked, Phillips was dragged all over the park just trying to stem the tide, Brooks saw tiny flashes but was doubled up constantly. Cannon had 0 shots, Bamford was living off scraps. And yet, somehow, the scoreboard said 0–0 at half-time. That was down to Cooper.
Second Half: The second half followed the same pattern: Portsmouth pressure, our block holding on, long spells defending our box.. But gradually the game tilted a little. Peck settled us down. Phillips held his discipline. Hamer finally got touches in advanced zones. And then came the moment. A great goal. Campbell making a key impact, Brooks in the right place again.
Defence: Let start with Cooper, overall rating a massive, 8.88. Cooper saved all shots Portsmouth put on target, claimed crosses under pressure, and held pretty much everything. Without him we’d have been dead and buried long before Brooks’ winner.
Bindon: 8 clearances, 3 interceptions, 2 blocks gave a performance that belongs to a seasoned centre-half, not a young one. He won duel after duel, read second balls brilliantly, and produced two critical blocks inside the box. A colossal showing. Tanganga made 12 clearances, 87% passing, started shakily, settled superbly, won everything in the air late on, cleared deep crosses, shepherded runners, led the line like a proper captain. One of his best defensive halves for us.
Seriki; 4 interceptions, 3 tackles, his recovery pace saved us multiple times. Read danger better than ever, won challenges in big moments, and still found energy to support Brooks. Growing rapidly into the role. Burrows: 72 touches, 10 crosses, 5 clearances, one of the busiest players on the pitch. Defended bravely, attacked when he could, made five important clearances, and offered crossing threat when we got out. A big shift.
Midfield: Soumaré with 47% passing had a rough afternoon. Couldn’t adjust to the tempo or physicality, repeatedly pressed into errors, and completed less than half his passes. Subbed before he drowned. No hiding from it, one of his toughest games. Kalvin Phillips made 6 tackles (most in team), 35 passes at 77% in a chaotic game. He held the middle together. Peck with 15 passes, and a key pass helped steady the ship when he came on. Clean touches, composed passes, important positioning.
Creativity & Attack: Hamer with 4 accurate crosses, 2 dribbles, not heavily involved for most of the match, but moments of class. Brooks with 2 shots, 1 on target, the 90th‑minute winner. Not his cleanest performance, not his most involved, but none of that matters, he produced the run that won the match. His timing was perfect.
Bamford had 4 shots, 4 aerial wins and fought hard, whilst Cannon had 0 shots and made just 7 passes. He ran hard but this was not his type of match. Portsmouth compressed space, blocked channels, and left him with nothing to run onto. A worker, but not a threat today. O’Hare with 8 touches, 3 passes, a sub who helped us run the clock, held the ball in tight spaces once or twice, and pressed well. Not a game that suited him, but he did the essentials.
Final Thoughts: This wasn’t a win built on structure or control or tactical superiority. It was a win built on bravery, resilience, last‑ditch defending, a goalkeeper in world‑class form, and one unforgettable 90th‑minute moment. Portsmouth will feel robbed. The stats say we were second best. Every metric except the scoreline says they should’ve won. But the scoreboard, the only column that ever really matters, gave us the win. Ugly, heroic, shameless, brilliant. One of those away wins you treasure precisely because it was so unfair.
So let’s toast another Sheffield double and get ready for a Sunday roast.
UTB
Every club has one or two away wins per season that don’t make sense on paper, not in the numbers, not in the shot count, not in the territory, not in the general flow of the match, and yet you walk away with three points wondering how on earth that happened.
Portsmouth did everything except score. They fired 23 shots, forced 7 saves, hit the post, flooded us with 41 touches in our box to our 10, put up 2.51 xG to our 0.99, completed 400 passes to our 294, and held 58.5% of the ball. On any normal afternoon, that ends 3–1 or 4–1, and we come home feeling sorry for ourselves.
But football doesn’t reward dominance. Football rewards moments. And when our moment finally came, in the 90th minute, after an entire match of defending for our lives: Campbell found the pass, Brooks found the movement, and we found a goal that won us the points.
Team Set‑Up: Two up top, deep block, survive‑first football
For a change we started with more of a 4‑4‑2, with Bamford and Cannon as a (slightly offset) front two, Brooks on the right, Hamer drifting inside from the left, and Phillips–Soumaré forming a double pivot tasked with slowing down Portsmouth’s midfield rotations.
Out of possession, we dropped straight into the compact 4‑4‑2 block, to protect the central channel, funnel Portsmouth wide, and trust our centre‑backs to deal with the aerial bombardment.
In possession, we simply couldn’t build the shape we’ve used lately. Portsmouth’s press was too aggressive, their tempo too high, their full-backs too advanced. We ended up forced into clearances, long balls, and counter-pressing moments.
First Half: Portsmouth came out flying. They swarmed our midfield. They overloaded the flanks. They peppered Cooper with shots. In the opening 45 they produced chance after chance, but Cooper shut all of them down.
Meanwhile we couldn’t play out. Soumaré completed just 47% of his passes before being hooked, Phillips was dragged all over the park just trying to stem the tide, Brooks saw tiny flashes but was doubled up constantly. Cannon had 0 shots, Bamford was living off scraps. And yet, somehow, the scoreboard said 0–0 at half-time. That was down to Cooper.
Second Half: The second half followed the same pattern: Portsmouth pressure, our block holding on, long spells defending our box.. But gradually the game tilted a little. Peck settled us down. Phillips held his discipline. Hamer finally got touches in advanced zones. And then came the moment. A great goal. Campbell making a key impact, Brooks in the right place again.
Defence: Let start with Cooper, overall rating a massive, 8.88. Cooper saved all shots Portsmouth put on target, claimed crosses under pressure, and held pretty much everything. Without him we’d have been dead and buried long before Brooks’ winner.
Bindon: 8 clearances, 3 interceptions, 2 blocks gave a performance that belongs to a seasoned centre-half, not a young one. He won duel after duel, read second balls brilliantly, and produced two critical blocks inside the box. A colossal showing. Tanganga made 12 clearances, 87% passing, started shakily, settled superbly, won everything in the air late on, cleared deep crosses, shepherded runners, led the line like a proper captain. One of his best defensive halves for us.
Seriki; 4 interceptions, 3 tackles, his recovery pace saved us multiple times. Read danger better than ever, won challenges in big moments, and still found energy to support Brooks. Growing rapidly into the role. Burrows: 72 touches, 10 crosses, 5 clearances, one of the busiest players on the pitch. Defended bravely, attacked when he could, made five important clearances, and offered crossing threat when we got out. A big shift.
Midfield: Soumaré with 47% passing had a rough afternoon. Couldn’t adjust to the tempo or physicality, repeatedly pressed into errors, and completed less than half his passes. Subbed before he drowned. No hiding from it, one of his toughest games. Kalvin Phillips made 6 tackles (most in team), 35 passes at 77% in a chaotic game. He held the middle together. Peck with 15 passes, and a key pass helped steady the ship when he came on. Clean touches, composed passes, important positioning.
Creativity & Attack: Hamer with 4 accurate crosses, 2 dribbles, not heavily involved for most of the match, but moments of class. Brooks with 2 shots, 1 on target, the 90th‑minute winner. Not his cleanest performance, not his most involved, but none of that matters, he produced the run that won the match. His timing was perfect.
Bamford had 4 shots, 4 aerial wins and fought hard, whilst Cannon had 0 shots and made just 7 passes. He ran hard but this was not his type of match. Portsmouth compressed space, blocked channels, and left him with nothing to run onto. A worker, but not a threat today. O’Hare with 8 touches, 3 passes, a sub who helped us run the clock, held the ball in tight spaces once or twice, and pressed well. Not a game that suited him, but he did the essentials.
Final Thoughts: This wasn’t a win built on structure or control or tactical superiority. It was a win built on bravery, resilience, last‑ditch defending, a goalkeeper in world‑class form, and one unforgettable 90th‑minute moment. Portsmouth will feel robbed. The stats say we were second best. Every metric except the scoreline says they should’ve won. But the scoreboard, the only column that ever really matters, gave us the win. Ugly, heroic, shameless, brilliant. One of those away wins you treasure precisely because it was so unfair.
So let’s toast another Sheffield double and get ready for a Sunday roast.
UTB
