Man Utd 1 Blades 2 - report / pod

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Deadbat

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Pod and match report below…..













It was the shock result of the season as the Blades went to Old Trafford and completely shocked the football world as they beat Manchester United 2-1. A first Blades goal from Kean Bryan gave United the lead but the Red Devils levelled via Harry Maguire in the second half. However, Oliver Burke smashed in a winner with 15 minutes to play and the Blades marshalled by old timer Jagielka with several outstanding performers saw it out. It was a tremendous team performance full of commitment, resilience, skill and real heart.



United were ravaged with injury and suspension issue and away from the mid-long-term O’Connell, Berge, Osborn and McBurnie, Enda Stevens was also out injured. With no John Egan, it was a hotch potch defence with Ampadu, Bryan and Jagielka joining Baldock and Basham. It was the normal midfield that has started the most recent games and Sharp kept his place after his man of the match performance at the weekend. McGoldrick came back into the side for the league game. United only named 6 of 9 subs and no midfielders.



Man Utd made changes with Tuanzebe making a rare start alongside Maguire. Telles came in at left back and Matic started alongside Pogba. The front-line featured Fernandes, Greenwood, Rashford and Martial – four players that have caused the Blades problems in games in the last few seasons in different games with 6 goals from Martial and Rashford in the last two games alone between the two sides.



The game began with the Blades with a solid 5 in front of Rams dale and were compact as the home team had a lot of possession but did not hurt them. The concern had been if the Blades had conceded an early goal then the floodgates may open after seeing what happened to West Brom last night against Manchester City. Martial went down after a tackle from Jagielka as he fell awkwardly. After treatment, where he seemed to hurt his shoulder, he was deemed fit to continue.



The opening continued with Man Utd moving it about but the Blades had kept a decent shape although a clever ball over the top from Pogba saw Fernandes in but he mis controlled which was uncharacteristic. The away side did not have much possession but Lundstram and McGoldrick both gave it away meaning they had to surrender the ball for a period again. Good football down the left saw Wan Bissaka put over a cross and Rashford sidefooted narrowly wide with Ramsdale well beaten. It was the first chance and not far-off target.



Slowly, the Blades started to find a foothold though as Fleck was tripped and then soon after the same man broke but opted to pass rather than shoot and Bryan’s cross was blocked.



On 17 minutes, Sharp was played in and broke but his lack of pace saw men get back and hit shot was too close to De Gea. The flag was raised after although replays showed it may have been very tight. At the other end, Man Utd then sent a lovely ball over the top and Greenwood was in and rounded Ramsdale as the keeper did not know whether to come or go but the striker was crowded out by Blades defenders. Ramsdale then had to head the ball out as he came off his line with more decisiveness.



Ampadu then made a good block that led to Fleck coming away and down the right side, McGoldrick then won a corner. From the delivery, the Blades took a shock lead. Fleck whipped it in and BRYAN flicked it into the net. There was some contact from Sharp but the referee was happy to let the goal go and the lead was confirmed. VAR had a look but did not feel it was a clear and obvious error.



The Blades had a decent spell in the game and the goal gave them something to hold onto. Man Utd tried to awake from their slumber and Greenwood had a shot at Ramsdale who held the ball well. Wan Bissaka’s battle with Bryan continued to be a feature and the right back’s cross saw Greenwood nearly in but Jagielka did well.



On the half hour, Ramsdale came for a corner and as he went to grab, Maguire challenged and the ball dropped out of the error ridden keeper’s hands. Martial converted but the referee Bankes had already blown. VAR did not look at it as the referee’s decision had already been made. The contact was quite similar to the Sharp goal so maybe the Blades for once got the rub of the green.



Norwood played one or two decent balls and McGoldrick nearly got in but Man Utd were now dominating possession for the most part but the tempo suited the away side as it was quite slow. Lundstram was booked for a cynical pull back on Rashford as he threatened to run away.



Man Utd then produced their best move with Telles finding Fernandes who clipped a great first-time ball back but Jagielka did really well to clear under pressure. Norwood and Baldock linked well but the offside flag was up but the Blades were having some threat in terms of attacks and it was not one-way traffic. Indeed Man Utd had not had many chances at all so far and Ramsdale had been surprisingly underemployed.



There was three minutes of stoppage time and Fleck helped kill a good portion of that by running at two men and drawing a bad foul by Tuanzebe who was rightly booked. The free kick from Norwood was really poor and the ball was cleared easily but the half time whistle came not long after.



The second half saw the home side up the tempo as you expected and a lovely ball through by Fernandes saw Greenwood in but he pulled his shot just past the far post.



More decent play saw Wan Bissaka drop on the end of a move and fire in a shot but it deflected wide with Ampadu doing well to get on the end of it. Bryan had seemingly took a knock and had to come off with Bogle going to left back.



Jagielka made a vital interception to deny a ball through and then Basham did the same. Man Utd had penned the Blades in but not had any clear chances outside of the Greenwood opportunity and the Blades came out and forced two openings for McGoldrick. The first saw patient football with Baldock involved and he played it into McGoldrick who tried an outrageous effort with the outside of his foot and it was not far over.



Soon after this the striker was in but he blazed over with the flag going up this time for a clear offside as he sprinted away. Fleck then won a corner with some good work down the left and again the Blades sent in an inswinging free kick that saw De Gea struggling but Matic cleared.



This mini spell had been much needed but then the home side came again and won two free kicks on the edge of the box with some unnecessary fouls. The first one saw Ramsdale make a save and did well to hold a dipping shot. The second one was deflected over for a corner. The issues from set plays came back to haunt the Blades again albeit versus a side with a number of bigger players. MAGUIRE came in and powered a header into the far corner to give Ramsdale no chance. Basham had been marking the former Blades player in the first half but this one ended up with Jagielka nearest to him and it ended up being a clear header



Cavani came on for Greenwood and you sensed Man Utd would go for the jugular but actually the Blades stayed in the game and Ampadu’s cavalier run of 50 yards was an embodiment of the efforts of the side and approach.



Cavani nearly got in on a cross at the other end but it drifted away before Basham stepped in to make a vital block. Burke replace Sharp and it was nearly in on a ball over the top straight away but it was not long before he was having a huge impact on the game.



With just over 15 minutes to play, the Blades stunned the home side and took the lead again. There was neat work down the right and Norwood’s pass put in Baldock. The cross came over but Maguire and De Gea got in a bit of a mess and the keeper kicked it away but not very far. Lundstram and Baldock combined again and eventually the former managed to roll it across to BURKE who toed a powerful shot that deflected off Tuanzebe and in off the underside of the bar. It was a real shock goal when most would have thought Man Utd would have gone on and got the next goal.



Man Utd tried to respond and Telles had a shot after it ran under Lundstram’s foot, but the midfielder got back to deflect the shot up and over and onto the top of the bar. The corner was cleared before Brewster came on for McGoldrick with just over 10 minutes left.



Cavani fired over after the ball dropped before van de Beek and Shaw replaced Tuanzebe and Telles as Man Utd tried to get men wide and force pressure on a well organised and resolute Blades side who had been magnificent defensively

Ampadu and then Jagielka made interceptions before Burke was away but Matic got a foot in as the last man. Jagielka headed out for a corner and then Basham read the danger as United’s low block continued to frustrate. The game ticked into 90 minutes and there was four minutes of additional time to be played. Burke managed to see out a period in the corner before a few final balls at the other end were cleared away. The Blades stopped any clear chances coming and after Ramsdale took a high ball, the unlikely win seemed to close. A final clearance saw referee Bankes blow his whistle and the shock result of the season was confirmed. A massively disappointing night for Man Utd who missed a chance to go back to the top of the league but a huge win and maybe some new life for Wilder’s Blades. The first win since 1973 for them at Old Trafford; 48 years, and one that no one saw coming!



United – Fantastic. I have thrown a lot of heat at this team/manager in terms of skill, organisation, aggression, will to win, togetherness, fight and belief – many of these qualities sadly have been lacking and we have been meek and limped to so many sorry defeats going down with a whimper. Sure, we have had some narrow defeats but many of these even though tight in results not sure we have done enough in our approach or application. Tonight was the complete opposite. We saw all the qualities you would want in a Sheffield United side. We played our hearts out, were resolute, together, compact, played when we could and on and off the ball every player did the best they could. We played with our hearts as I said, but also our heads. We never panicked and even after we gave away another set piece goal we went again and scored a decent goal albeit poor defending but some nice football in the build-up. We did not just defend for 90 minutes and broke and passed when we could. I felt we never got dominated in any area of the field and we saw a massive upswing in the performance both collectively and individually. I was really proud of them tonight. We all thought we would get a battering. No one, even our own fans, gave us a chance. Shows that football can still give fans the unexpected and United are never predictable!



Maybe over possession and territory or even chances (although not sure they had many more than us really) we did not deserve it but actually I would say for the way we went about it and our sheer will to win and doing the little things we did deserve it in some ways and for once had a bit of luck/decisions go for us but after the wretched luck/things not gone out way it was nice for things to go in our favour. I was so pleased for the manager and team. They have had pelters and looked so downbeat much of the season so to see them smiling even at the end during the game as they fought to protect the three points was great. They have been such a special group and tonight we saw the grit and fire we have not seen this season but had seen for 3-4 years previous. It felt like our United and our players (Fleck, Norwood etc) were back! I was buzzing at the end. In the grand scheme of things not sure we will even get close to staying up – we have given ourselves too much to do but now we at least have some pride and can at least probably overhaul that Derby team. We could go past West Brom even and not be the bottom side. I think staying up would still be almost impossible. We would have to win almost every other game and that is not going to happen but I just want some performances like tonight and a chance to build for next season.



I saw the team and the names of Bryan, Jagielka and Amadu in the back and even Sharp up top I thought was the wrong move. I saw we had so many out and you just thought it really could be damage limitation. I recall a better team being destroyed at Man Utd in the first lockdown and the start of project restart. I was genuinely concerned it could be a lot more than that 3-0 and similar to the West Brom defeat to City the previous night. I just thought please do not get humiliated and stay in the game in terms of not getting a real hammering.



The game started and we kept them to few chances and when Rashford missed that one I thought yes we have survived the first 10 minutes. Then we scored and had the let off from their goal. Once we got to half time you thought maybe but you sensed they would have a real go but it never really came They had some chances and free kicks but nothing major and it was so frustrating when we concede a set play but they were so much bigger (had Baldock on Pogba!) so it was hard but after that you thought like Man Utd have done to other teams (and us earlier in the season) they would just pull away but it never happened and then we got a goal at a great time and then just saw out each 5 minute spell. They did not really threaten too much with one looped shot and a Cavani shot well over but we actually saw it out really professionally and were very composed.



Huge credit to players I never thought could perform like that (Jags/Bryan or instance) and some who showed a bit of a renaissance. I thought everyone worked so hard and gave everything. They will be knackered tonight and of course with a confident and assured Man City side, that will be another challenge and will be incredibly tough after the efforts of tonight but the players do have some confidence at least now and as a team for a few days now at least they will be smiling. I had almost forgot what it was like to feel like I did tonight. A huge performance and a winning one against the odds. Even if/when we go down, the result and performance probably will go down in folklore a bit – we do not win there very often and it was so unexpected with the way the season has gone. Cannot really criticise much at all about the way we played and that is kind of all we ask of our Blades team really. A great night in a shambolic season but one where we can be proud again.
 

Ratings:



Ramsdale 7/10 – Game of two halves. First half maybe a 4/5 and second closer to an 8. First half thought he was shaky again sadly. Came for a ball and was hesitant when Greenwood nearly got in and was slipping about. Headed one out but then made a right mess of that cross and was lucky to get away with it as the contact was not a lot really. He has to be stronger and just come through Maguire. His penchant for dropping easy crosses continued. He had no chance on the goal but then his handing from one free kick, another low shot and a few crosses was faultless. Nice to see him drop on one at the end and again be smiling after a tough few weeks. Pleased for him and showed a lot of mental strength tonight.



Baldock 8/10 – Thought he stuck to his task really well defensively and limited gaps, got his foot in and did what he had to in terms of denying balls coming in too much. He got forward second half for a spell too and was involved in the McGoldrick chance and then set up the initial chance that led to the goal. Kept running forward when he could and won a foul near the end and was determined in his defensive work.



Bryan 8/10 – Thought he had a real go in what he did and never hid. Wan Bissaka ran at him a few times and he was a bit off his man but got stronger as the game went on and kept it simple with knocks down the lines, clearances and tackles. He seemed to grow into the game and then scored a good headed goal. After this his confidence grew even more and stepped out and used the ball well when he could and did nothing wrong defensively. Went off early 2nd half with a knock but undoubtedly his best performance and moments in a Blades shirt.



Basham 8/10 – Like the whole back line kept his concentration almost all night – he was switched on and read things when he needed to, making blocks and interceptions. He did not get forward much but then the three centre backs had to stay at home most of the time. A few times we got caught with balls over the top but he got back in and made recoveries also. Second half thought he was great and he won so many vital balls as they tried to work it through us. Not sure on the goal as he had been picking Maguire up first half and seemed stationery and then it looked as if it was Jagielka’s (may have been of course) as he was closest. After this the whole defence recovered really well doing what they had to and Ramsdale hardly had anything to do apart from long range shots.



Ampadu 8.5/10 – As above. Thought he made so many blocks and tackles and just got into areas where he could stop those clever balls or little one twos. He made a few blocks from shots that came in where he got his body in the way. He was the one of the three that came out maybe once or twice and we saw one great surging run where he showed his pace and mobility. I was willing him on there even though he had no help and got crowded out I thought it was a great run that showed the way we wanted to have a go and not sit back all game. He has had a much better last few weeks so credit to him.



Jagielka 9/10 – Rolling back the years! He did ok in a few cameos last year but showed his legs have gone in the games (x 2) v Man Utd and was surprised he was brought back this season as great a servant as he has been. He struggled v Southampton and tonight I was really concerned but what a performance! Yes, he (or Bash) may have done better on the goal but outside of that he was faultless with some great tackles and he showed his innate ability to sniff out danger we saw so many times for us in his first spell. He was against world class strikers but did a superb job on all of them and I felt gave everything. He looked shattered at the end but a phenomenal effort from him.



Lundstram 7.5/10 – Put a real shift in all night and never stopped moving. Thought he was the weakest of the three midfielders but he was still ok in terms of effort. I felt he gave the ball away a bit much – did it at the beginning and then right at the end but then outside of this he did some good things and kept running all night. A daft booking where he got the wrong side of his man put him under a bit of pressure but he managed to keep his cool and just gave the excellent defence really good protection. All season the defence has been badly exposed but tonight the midfield gave them proper help and stopped runners or easy balls coming through and picked up the pieces.





Fleck 8.5/10 – Where has that been?! Finally! He started the game ok but then got better and better. He picked up loose balls, ran with it and drew man and showed the skills and drive we have not seen for around a year. Set up the goal with a dangerous corner. He won a few free kicks, linked when he could and got into those little pockets. Not perfect and still a few poor choices but overall, it was so much better. He drove us up the field and played some intelligent passes. He did not look out on his feet after an hour and kept going. Hoping that will give him the confidence boost to get back the form he had completely lost. A huge plus tonight and feel like a hero I had lost re-emerged again! Only one game of course but a sign of some life.





Norwood 8.5/10 – As above really. He got on the ball, moved it about when he could and also did those things, we saw from him of years past – picking up those little loose balls, breaking things up and sitting in front of the defence. He was able to move it on and played some nice balls forward that set us moving to Sharp, McGoldrick and then latterly Burke! He was nice and composed and did not panic and this seemed to spread through the team. One shocking free kick apart on the stroke of half time, I thought he was really good tonight and did a lot of good work off the ball – an area I have been critical of him.





McGoldrick 8/10 – Thought he did some good things to begin and was able to hold it when he could and try and link. It was hard as we did not have lots of the ball up the field but contributed to us winning a corner and then second half had two chances and one was a really good effort. Just worked hard and kept chasing and harrying the defence and would come into midfield when he had to. Some lovely touches at times and part of a front to back great team performance.



Sharp 8/10 – Played well Saturday but a home game v Plymouth is different to a game at Old Trafford. Not sure it was the right call as we were always going to be defending a lot and needed pace on the break. Seemed a perfect game for Burke, at least to have some kind of threat but picking the slowest strikers we have was a strange move. However, he began the game well and was a nuisance, playing on the shoulders and causing problems. Nearly got in with the chance (offside) and kept working the channels. He tried really hard and seemed determined not to let players out and I thought helped us not have them come out too easily in terms of the defence being too far up the field. He did a great job for the side in terms of us having an outlet. Burke then came on and got the winner so the plan worked.





Subs –



Burke – What an impact! His first league goal and the winner at Old Trafford. Nearly got on one ball and then scored soon after with a good finish which he just made sure he got on target with a good contact. He then had another chance but could not quite get away from Matic. He is always a real threat on the break and perfect against some lumbering defenders who are tiring and so it proved. Helped us run things down at the end also.





Bogle 7.5/10 – He was ok if not as stand out as the rest of the defence but did contribute to us seeing out the game. I felt he was a bit slow to some of the moves they made and they got down this side a bit but he kept going and made a few blocks/clearances near the end. Hard with him being on the wrong side.



Brewster - Seeded a bit headless chicken with a wild mis kick and then he gave it away and needed to settle down. I think he was caught between chasing everything and trying to get hold of it a bit and did neither but at this stage we just needed harrying and he did this a bit.



Manager Wilder 9/10 – He may have been limited to his options due to injury and suspension but I was also dreading tonight and I winced when I saw the team. Jagielka, Bryan and Ampadu playing was a massive worry – Champ or League One players against world class strikers. I know Stevens was out but thought maybe Bogle could have played and maybe Baldock right back. Suppose Lowe has struggled him or Bryan, not sure you can make a strong case for either. I was shocked he went with Sharp – as thought he will not get a kick or be in the game. Shows what I know! The team performed like heroes and were superb individually and collectively. They kept compact all game, worked close together on and off the ball to restrict space and/or keep it when we had it and had some nice lay albeit with limited possession. We had chances and broke when we could but did not go daft. Defensively they kept in a nice line and did not see some go up and some come back. The midfield protected them well and they restricted space and forced Man Utd wide and they struggled to create much at all. The subs worked and Burke had a huge impact. Criticised him this season for tactics and his approach but he got it perfectly right tonight. The performance and how we frustrated Man Utd, he has to take a lot of credit for and for getting the player to belief they could get a result. Delighted to see him smiling again after such a tough season.





Man Utd – They have surprised me this season. I genuinely felt and wrote it after the home game we had with them, that Solskjaer would not see the current campaign out. However, with the up and down form of Man. City and Liverpool, they have gone on a run and a number of players have hit form. They have found a settled way of playing and with the likes of Pogba, Shaw and Bailey back in the team and playing well, allied to the incoming Cavani, it has seen them pick up a number of results. Still not sure I see the current managed being in charge long term and I am not fully convinced by him but fair play to him and them. I did not see them anywhere near a title challenger this year. Top 4 at best and even top 2 would have been a stretch I felt and certainly not to be close Liverpool and City. I still expect those two to pull away and feel that a blip is around the corner as today showed.



I am not convinced by them defensively and Pogba is not reliable in terms of performances or effort every week. They rely so much on the likes of Fernandes and Rashford for me – maybe even Maguire, who has been much maligned but is a solid defender and one of the best in the league despite the issues he has had at the start of the season, on and off the pitch. I still think they need to improve and man for man or even squad wise I see the other two as better than them in almost every position. Not sure they have quite got the start quality the other two sides have.



Today, maybe they took us too lightly and thought it would be easy. They changed a few defenders but it was still not far off the strongest team. They started with such a slow tempo which played into our hands and never really pushed us back all night. The pressure never came and they gave away two awful goals. I felt they just never got any momentum and individually and collectively no one took responsibility to say, ‘Come on, we need to step this up!’ They kind of just went through the motions and as the game ticked on the expected wave of attacks never came. After they scored you thought they would just turn on the boosters as they have quite a few second halves this season but it never happened and even after we scored; they never really laid much of a glove on us and we saw it out rather easily.



Too many players just did not play. They had a great chance to go top and pull well clear of Liverpool and blew it. We played well and they were crap. They had very little idea to get round or through us. He can talk about decisions all he wants Solsjkaer but he has had so many over the last year (penalties) and so had one go against him. Over the course of the game, they did not do enough and did not deserve anything for how they played. Maybe the mentality of the players is not of Champions and why they won’t push those other teams as I alluded to.



As a discussion point with some relevance at least to our recent past, not sure Dean Henderson is ever going to be number 1 there. De Gea has only just turned 30 and has a few years ahead of him as a keeper and his contract too for that matter. Henderson has had a taste in the cups and Europe etc (and a few league games) but I don’t see the situation being any different next year. Maybe he will go on loan again but to another Premier League side or maybe they will cash in but not sure I see many top teams without a solid or keeper they like (Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs, Leicester, Wolves etc). He is going to have to go to a mid to lower club but again a lot of teams have keepers they seem fairly happy with. It is a dilemma for him and the club. Man Utd sure would be happy with current status quo but it’s no good for Henderson to do this for another season. De Gea was rubbish tonight but still will be number one for the immediate and distant future you think.



Opponent Man of the Match – Maguire scored but I felt Wan Bissaka was the main threat. All those talented strikers and he was the one that caused the most problems with his runs.



Opponent Weak link – A lot had off nights. Rashford, Martial and Greenwood (well marshalled) were all poor. Tuanzebe struggled a bit and I felt Matic and Pogba got outworked by our lads and were poor with the ball when they had it. They gave it away a lot. However, De Gea has to take the award. Terrible on both goals (even if a bit of contact from Sharp on the first) and indecisive all night. Struggled on anything coming into the box.



Referee/Officials - Peter Bankes. Sure he reffed the game at Brighton when Lundstram was sent off albeit with VAR getting involved? Anyway, in terms of today two key decisions. I might be on my own but I felt there was minimal contact from Sharp and maybe Matic pushed him a bit first but he did put two hands on De Gea and knew what he was doing. I am not sure VAR could say it was an obvious mistake really though. If the ref rules it out, not sure they would change it either. Maybe we got away with it a bit. The Man Utd goal should have counted as Ramsdale just dropped it – I will say that. It was quite inconsistent refereeing. He blew his whistle too quickly which meant it was hard for anything to be changed. Apparently due to this they could not look at it as a VAR potential overturn. You could argue it was not much different to the Blades goal but as with this one even if VAR had looked, you could not say it was a clear and obvious error. Maybe the Blades had a slice of fortune as the two incidents were quite similar but the referee’s calls were never going to be changed as it was not a howler either way. You can say there was inconsistency in the referring rather than criticising VAR who could not really and should not really overrule such decisions that are not obvious mistakes.



The rest of the game, Lundstram and Tuanzebe both carded for cynical fouls but outside of that, we may have done a few fouls to stop things and these were good fouls as not bad enough to be yellow cards. I am not sure there was much else to debate. I feared he may put up a daft amount of time but he did and four was fair but it did seem to last an age!



Coverage – They seemed as shocked as anyone but fair play to Sutton (a pundit I don’t like) he was quite fair and praised us and the defence. Jake Humphrey is a patronising get and I felt even though Rio Ferdinand loves Wilder, he was a bit one eyed on the decisions and looking at Man Utd’s faults rather than what we did. Nice to watch Match of the Day for once too – not bothered most of the season!
 
Brilliant defending but I'd single Ampadu out. In the first half, when Greenwood broke clear and Rammers had come out too far, Ampadu did brilliantly to shepherd Greenwood wide and see off the danger, didn't dive in, nothing rash, just quality defending.

The other thing that stood out for me tonight was we didn't make any stupid errors and when one of our players did get beat or missed a tackle, there was a team mate on hand to help out. Too many times this season, we've made one error and it's lead to a goal or even worse we've made a several errors in the same bit of play that has lead to a goal.

Also want to note that on MOTD they showed the xG at the end of the game and our xG was actually marginally higher than theirs so although they had more possession, we had the better chances.
 
Re the discussion point, I can see Chelsea going for Henderson. Despite an outlay of £100m, they haven't adequately replaced Courtois IMO.

Also I was at the last win at Old Trafford in 1973. Went on the train and didn't see another Blade all day. I recall that Eddy and Badger were great, the latter guiding young debutant Steve Faulkner superbly. Another youngster Tom McAlister was tremendous in goal, concentration never wavering despite repeated pitch invasions behind his goal as the realisation of Manchester's likely relegation started to sink in.

Arnold Sidebottom, subsequently more famous as a Yorkshire cricketer, made his debut for Manchester.
 
Forgot to mention on the pod, but as well as the hard work and excellent play, we finally got a bit of luck. The two ‘fouls’ on the keepers could have gone either way (and as I said, Sharp’s was the worse one) and both goals went in off the woodwork. About time.
 
Enjoyed the pod boys... as always!
Maybe I’m biased but for me, when you watch both incidents in real time, ours is a goal and Harry fouls Rammers. It’s just blatant in today’s game.
If we actually break down our goal then there’s arguments for DeGea pushing Bryan and Matic pushing Sharp... and probably several others tbh!
The one thing in the game that didn’t get picked up, and never does, was Bruno ridiculous flick up of his legs to win the free kick on the edge of our box! It’s by far the worst part of the modern game!
Great win, great pod... loving life!
 
Oh and... I was on my knees hands aloft for both goals!! Haha
 
Basham was fantastic, apart from that dribble he did in the last 5 minutes in our box! I've slated him recently on his defending, the rest of his game is really good and his energy is ridiculous but he looked assured at the back today. Man Utd ran out of ideas. Fleck was so good too, hopefully that feel good factor is back for the players regardless of the opposition thats 4 wins in 5 games. We need to build on this momentum even if its just to carry through to next season
 
It wasn't only good to win, it was the performance that went with. Yes, we weren't attacking in a free flow, but it reminded me of a performance we'd put in last season, against one of the top sides, away from home. Solid defensively, organised, committed and self assured.

That said, we did play some nice stuff at times going forwards too. We saw the overlap return on a number of occasions and pressed them high up the pitch to win the ball back a few times - probably could have capitalised on a few more of those. Watch the second goal back too and look how well we are passing it around in the box.
 
Last time I looked at score Dobbin Maguire has just scored, I went to bed and at 10:15 looked at score, I was laid in bed shouting my head off our lass in other room thought I'd gone mental FANTASTIC RESULT.
 
Our back five defended well with the midfield three defending the back five. Didsy, very clever player. Bill putting a shift in. Would have preferred Burke/Moose up top later on, they didn't look any great shakes defensively.
Well done Blades.
 
Most pleasing for me was that it was a true team performance last night something we haven't really seen all season. Ramsdale apart from one first half walk about looked like a keeper rather than a nervous wreck. An enormous effort from Jags which rolled back the years marshalled the defence to be on the whole where they should be at the right times made us very solid. Midfield too was much improved Lundsram looked better than he has for a while but Fleck looked like the Fleck of old driving forwards, making those little turns out of trouble when he looks surrounded. Those two being much more involved than of late allowed Norwood the time on the ball that he needs and always the easy option of a simple pass if under pressure. Front two worked their socks off too.
I thought the ref got both decisions that poor old Ole was moaning about spot on. Bryan got his head to the ball before De Gea got anywhere near despite Billy leaning him into the right direction to make a punch. The difference between the two incidents is Billy is leaning in while they are on the ground. Maguire jumps shoulder first into Ramsdale's chest while they are in the air, you haven't been able to do that to a keeper since about 1960.
VAR didn't see enough to rule out our goal and the Ref blew for a foul before they put the ball in the net so VAR can't look at it. I do think we are becoming over reliant on VAR to look for things that are just not there, at the time I thought the ref got it right and going over countless replays trying to justify how somehow Man U were hard done to by the pundits hasn't changed my mind.
 

Just been listening to the 8am Granada news and they said Manchester United 1 Sheffield Wed day 2
We get a result since 1973 and they take it away from us. Does anyone in the premier like us
 
Woke up this morning and actually think a few of my marks may be a tad harsh - as in deserve a 0.5 more in a few cases.

Still not sure we had a bad performer and how many times could we say that this season?
 
You’re always harsh. The mistakes were few, they worked beautifully as a team, and played some decent stuff when they could; nobody should have got less than 8. Apart from the obligatory bar of soap incident, Ramsdale was faultless, so certainly worth that extra mark.
 
You’re always harsh. The mistakes were few, they worked beautifully as a team, and played some decent stuff when they could; nobody should have got less than 8. Apart from the obligatory bar of soap incident, Ramsdale was faultless, so certainly worth that extra mark.

...and coming out for that through ball and dithering and slipping over. Hence the 7. I'll raise it to a 7.5 - just so I am not in agreement with you.
 
Re the goals and fouls on the goalies. If you watch the highlights after the first goal, De Gea never once claimed that Sharp had fouled him he indicates he was blocked off
 
Agree with all the ratings and reviews, I have to pick you up on the Burke finish though Deadbat. He had two goes at it and both were very poor efforts. He had so much space to pick his spot but weakly side footed both. De Gea would have saved it comfortably had it not deflected, which is not a good enough result from that position with that much space. He really does need to sort his finishing out. Not that I'm complaining.... it found it's way in!
 
Max Lowe not fully fit which is why he didn't play there. Wilder said he would have got 10 minutes at most out of both him and Mooose.
 
Agree with all the ratings and reviews, I have to pick you up on the Burke finish though Deadbat. He had two goes at it and both were very poor efforts. He had so much space to pick his spot but weakly side footed both. De Gea would have saved it comfortably had it not deflected, which is not a good enough result from that position with that much space. He really does need to sort his finishing out. Not that I'm complaining.... it found it's way in!
This is the wonder of Deadbat reflecting on things by the time he writes his match report. We forgot to mention it on the pod, but in our group chat at the time of the goal, he declared it the “worst goal ever”. There was a lot of crap in the build-up from both sides, but I actually thought Burke’s second hit was OK, and De Gea may have ended up pushing it back into the box anyway, with a couple sniffing around.
 
This is the wonder of Deadbat reflecting on things by the time he writes his match report. We forgot to mention it on the pod, but in our group chat at the time of the goal, he declared it the “worst goal ever”. There was a lot of crap in the build-up from both sides, but I actually thought Burke’s second hit was OK, and De Gea may have ended up pushing it back into the box anyway, with a couple sniffing around.
You may well be right but from 12(ish) yards out under no pressure, a tame side footed effort and hoping the keeper parries it isn't really good enough for a Premier League striker. Especially in our predicament, we need those chances to be converted at this level.
 
You may well be right but from 12(ish) yards out under no pressure, a tame side footed effort and hoping the keeper parries it isn't really good enough for a Premier League striker. Especially in our predicament, we need those chances to be converted at this level.
If it was so 'tame' how did it have the power to hit a muscular thigh, be deflected upwards, hit a solid lump of wood and then carry on moving in the same direction and then land well over the line? 😊
 
If it was so 'tame' how did it have the power to hit a muscular thigh, be deflected upwards, hit a solid lump of wood and then carry on moving in the same direction and then land well over the line? 😊
It was a tame effort, that was an easy height for the keeper and would easily have been saved. It had more than enough power to bounce off the thigh and the metal crossbar and in to the goal? That's a pretty low standard to judge shots by though.
 

Re the discussion point, I can see Chelsea going for Henderson. Despite an outlay of £100m, they haven't adequately replaced Courtois IMO.

Also I was at the last win at Old Trafford in 1973. Went on the train and didn't see another Blade all day. I recall that Eddy and Badger were great, the latter guiding young debutant Steve Faulkner superbly. Another youngster Tom McAlister was tremendous in goal, concentration never wavering despite repeated pitch invasions behind his goal as the realisation of Manchester's likely relegation started to sink in.

Arnold Sidebottom, subsequently more famous as a Yorkshire cricketer, made his debut for Manchester.
I was there too. I can still see in my mind Keith Eddy passing the ball in midfield with a wonderful pass to his right as the United attack came towards the end where I was standing. I remember Steve Faulkner at centre half, with an outrageous haircut, well to be honest not a haircut, but just long wild black hair. I'd not seen him play before and thought he could be a good one for the future.

I'd forgotten about the pitch invasions as they were at the other end from me. I do remember it was Bobby Charlton's last home appearance for Manchester United. He was a shadow of his former self, with Keith Eddy giving him the run around. The 57280 crowd clapped Charlton off at the end appreciating his long service for his club.

United finished 14th and Manchester United finished 18th (out of 22 teams) and avoided relegation.
 

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