Deadbat
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The Blades continued their steady improvement in both performances and results with a hard fought 1-0 victory over fellow play off hopefuls Middlesbrough. In a game of few chances, United were certainly not at their best for much of the first half as the visitors shaded proceedings but an improvement after the break led to the eventual vital breakthrough. Man of the moment Richard Cresswell was once again the man on the spot as he headed home Andrew Taylor’s left wing cross. The Blades then kept their composure and shape and held on to maintain their steady climb into the upper echelons of the Championship.
United made one change from the side that beat QPR in the week with Kyle Walker coming in for Derek Geary but did name Henderson, Ward and Camara on the bench. Boro had three debutants in Barry Robson, Willo Flood and Chris Killen; all having arrived from Celtic in the week and started with Jeremie Aliadiere up front with former Blade Marcus Bent on the bench.
United began the game with a fluent move that saw Evans lay the ball off but Wheater blocked Cresswell off but Boro had also began well as an attacking force and Walker had to see off Killen from one break. Morgan blocked Osbourne’s shot and then Flood nearly worked an opening in a largely chance free opening.
Cresswell was unfortunate to be booked for a challenge on McMahon after the same player for Boro had upended Quinn in similar fashion only minutes earlier. United had strong appeals for a spot kick when Walker’s ball seemed to hit Robson’s hand but D’Urso waved play on after a quick glance to his assistant on the right hand side. Walker’s slide tackle stopped Flood in his tracks before Osbourne and Riggot had two headed efforts that saw Bunn dive to gather.
Robson was cautioned for his foul on Quinn. The United player then clashed with O’Neill after the foul and both were also shown yellow immediately afterwards for a disagreement.
The visitors had probably kept the ball better during the first half but other than a couple of straight forward saves from Bunn, they had not really made any possession advantage tell. United would have been disappointed to not really test visiting keeper Coyne.
The second half saw United show more urgency and used width to greater effect. Both Walker and Quinn got deep into Boro territory and the best opening came when Walker skipped down the right and his low cross somehow evaded everyone. Williamson was the next into D’Urso’s notebook for a challenge on Flood and O’Neill had a free kick that went high over Bunn’s goal. United were certainly looking the more dangerous of the two teams and some nice football led to an opening for Evans after Williamson nodded down but the chance was scrambled clear. However, just before the hour the home side created their first real clear chance and effort on goal and the ball was in the back of the net.
The ball was moved left by Evans to Taylor and the left back hit a dangerous driven cross that CRESSWELL stooped to head home via Coyne with the keeper’s attempts to save the header in vain.
Middlesbrough attempted to get back in the game and had appeals for a spot kick waved away when Aliadiere went to ground as Morgan and Walker both converged on him. In truth there may have been some contact but the Frenchmen’s theatrical dive to the ground probably did him no favours. United had their own appeal moments later as sloppy work by Boro saw Cresswell dart in and go to the floor as Riggott challenged. Once again D’Urso was unmoved. In truth both probably were not penalties and certainly the hand ball in the first half seemed a much clearer award than either of these.
Johnson came on for Boro and his reverse ball almost led to a chance for Robson but the best move of the match saw Cresswell play in Evans who cushioned the ball into the path of Harper but the midfielder’s first time instinctive effort was over the bar. Ward and Camara came on for Williamson and Evans as the game entered the final twenty minutes. United had been able to prevent Boro creating many clear cut chances after taking the lead and the solid defensive pairing of Morgan and Seip continued to see off any openings. Indeed United were finishing the game the stronger and another decent move saw Harper combine with Quinn with the former seemingly taken down by Riggott as the ball span off into the path of Camara. The striker curled a first time effort that beat Coyne but hit the foot of the post and the ball rebounded rather fortunately straight back into the arms of the custodian.
Johnson had a free kick that sailed well over the bar and then Henderson replaced Cresswell as the game entered the final moments. Four minutes of additional time were played but in truth Boro did not offer a threat and could not muster another chance. United saw out time and were able to celebrate a workmanlike three points as they moved into the play off zone.
United – It is fair to play we have played much better this season and even lost (Newcastle and Cardiff spring to mind) but we were well organised and solid and gave up few chances. It was a game of few chances and one that will not be remembered but it was a game that as a team you just want to get the win and United did that.
We were quite poor and lacklustre in the first half and did not seem to have the same desire as we have had in some recent games. I felt if we could get to half time and not concede (in truth even though we were poor; they were not much better) we would improve and it was the sort of game we could nick. So it proved. We actually had 3 or 4 decent moves in the second half and some decent chances. We scored a well made and taken goal and then had a few other good chances from Harper and Camara.
We certainly can do better and I felt whilst we were solid at the back and competed well in midfield the same old charge I have levelled at the side for poor passing, ball retention and lack of creativity remained. However, it was nice that the few bits of quality on show in the game; were the two or three moves that led to the goal and other chances as described above. I felt if we upped the game we could have gone on and won comfortably but it seemed to take a long time for us to show some urgency. It was the sort of game that as with Preston could have easily drifted to a stalemate but as with the previous home league game we were able to get the vital goal and vital three points. Hopefully the Kilgallon situation can be sorted one way or the other this week and Yeates also may give us more in the last third. I thought Seip was excellent. Nothing flash, just unflustered solid defending using his brain aswell as his physical strength. I thought the midfield were up and down. They worked incredibly hard and as the game went on we won the battle and most 50/50’s appeared to be won by a red and white shirt so fair play to Monty, Quinn and Harper, especially in the second half. However, all of the midfield were frustrating with the ball with some good touches/passes mixed with hurried passes or balls that went long unnecessarily Up front I felt that despite the odd decent touches the ball did not stick enough with Cresswell and Evans who seemed miles apart. I think Henderson will come back in soon and with Camara and Ward as options we do have a bit more depth in the striking areas. At least not if the two in possession do not play well we have others who can come in; which has not always been the case.
Middlesbrough – They may say they deserved a point as they just shaded the first half but in truth they never really created much. They showed some glimpses of decent stuff but looked distinctly powder puff in the last third. A charge that could be levelled at us too but in the end we scored; they did not. That is football I suppose. There has been a number of times we have been in games and lost due to one good cross and clinical finish; and that was the case today to Boro.
Played some nice what I would call ‘tippy tappy football’ without really creating any significant chances of note. Mark Bunn made a couple of stooping saves either side of the break from a header and a shot but in truth I can barely remember any other real clear cut chances. I felt when we finally started to put pressure on the back line but United upped things second half. Hoyte for instance had been untroubled but was beaten by Walker easily twice in the early stages of the second half. Wheater and Riggott too had enjoyed a comfortable first half but Cresswell and Evans started to pressure them more and they started making mistakes. One awful crossfield ball and a shocking back pass almost led to goals for United.
Strachan clearly is struggling and if things continue Gibson may make another change especially the way things are going at the moment with trigger happy chairman. However, in defence of Strachan (and Southgate before him) the side they have is completely different to the side that went down. I was surprised the likes of Johnson and Arca did not start and it will be interesting to see whether the Celtic trio can cope with the physical demands of the Championship. Up front they looked poor although they did have players missing albeit players who have hardly set the division alight. Bent is coming towards the end of his career and for all the fuss made when we did not sign Lita he has hardly been prolific for Boro.
They are a side that will probably finish around the middle of the league and I expect the likes of Wheater and Johnson to move on in the summer. It certainly could be a few years of transition as they do not have the players like West Brom and Newcastle who managed to keep their core of decent players to contend.
Bunn 7/10 – Thought he was very solid today. Good handling all game, punched/caught crosses and the few efforts Boro had he was right behind them. He also hit 2 or 3 excellent low kicks that found their target with clever distribution.
Walker 7/10 – Good game. Won the battle with the winger and made the key tackles, blocks and clearances. Got forward when he could to support the attack and put the ball of the match in early in the second half which no one attacked at the Kop end. Only negative once again is that he nearly got caught out by trying too much. Fortunately his pace and athleticism meant he got back to recover any errors he did make.
Taylor 6/10 – Thought he was poor again most of the game save for the excellent assist for the goal. He was awfully slow to react to danger again at times and his positional sense does leave a lot to be desired. Constantly other defenders were having to mop up for him in the first half. He did improve in the second half and of course put in an excellent cross for the goal. Not convinced by him and at times teams seem to recognise he is our weakest link in defence and I was fearful every time Boro got the ball to Johnson near the end.
Morgan 7.5/10 – Rock solid all game. Won headers, cleared the ball and generally limited the Boro strikers to barely a clear chance or shot. Some of his headers completely killed any half chances Boro had such were the distance he got on them.
Seip 7.5/10 – I thought he had a very good full home debut. He read the game well, used the ball and more than that he defended well and did all the basics. Won a number of headers, tackles and also covered a lot of ground across the back four. Very impressive start.
Montgomery 7/10 – Defensively he was excellent; as he broke up a lot of play and won numerous 50/50’s in the middle of the park. His passing was a mixed bag again but generally after some poor performances recently I felt today we once again saw the positives that Monty offers yet again. The moment where he won the ball and ran 20-30 yards and then blazed a woeful shot into the crowd drew a mixture of applause (for tackle and run) and sighs/laughs (for the shot). This summed him up and his performance.
Quinn 7.5/10 – A good performance and he was certainly involved in a lot of what went on today and was not shy to get involved. It was certainly a performance full of running and he actually got up and down the pitch very well. Did some really good things with one or two good runs and clever balls. The only negative was that he was booked for arguing and continued to vent at D’Urso. I felt at one stage we may have to take him off as he was continuing to harangue the referee. One of those players that United fans will probably never be totally convinced by. However, like Monty they are the sort of players that of they were playing against you would be very annoying in terms of work rate and the amount of play they break up. They certainly never hide.
Harper 7/10 – I think he has steadily improved since his earlier performances in a Blades shirt. Seems to be getting fitter and stronger and whilst he still does not get on the ball enough for me; he does use it wisely when he had it and tries to get ahead of the strikers. Slowly starting to turn things around.
Williamson 5.5/10 – Not at home playing wide right and did not get in the game very much. His actual touch and passing was also off for much of today. He kept going but was eventually taken off and I think Blackwell realised it had not worked. Need to see him have a long run in the central area of the pitch.
Cresswell 7/10 – Thought for long stretches he was not in the game in terms of being on the ball but despite this his honest toil and chasing down of defenders saw the defenders start to make mistakes as the match wore on. He does not exactly convince me in general play and most of his game is based on work off the ball or winning the odd aerial ball. However, despite this criticism which I have levelled at him in previous games too; he once again got in the right place to score the all important goal and has a knack for getting in the right areas and hitting the back of the net. He is proving to be an excellent finisher and has scored some crucial goals for us. This knack kind of makes up for the unremarkable performances as if you don’t score, you don’t win games.
Evans 6/10 – Still frustrating me as he has improved his general play but he certainly looks no nearer getting a goal for me. He seems to be playing too far up the pitch and a couple of good balls across the box I would have expected him to be nearer. Also want him to win a few more headers and physical challenges as he lets himself be knocked about too easily. Definitely a good footballer though and played one or two clever knock downs that led to chances in the second half and showed he has a good football brain with a couple of clever reverse passes that set us on the attack. Strangely had just started to improve when he was taken off.
Subs –
Camara – Came on final 20 minutes but felt he hardly ‘bust a gut’ when he came on but I suppose we have to accept that is his style. He nearly scored a clinching goal and was unlucky it hit the post. He does keep the ball well when he does have it though and has a very good touch.
Ward – Played wide right but did not get that involved in the game as United were trying not to throw too many players forward. Maybe he had burnt himself out on the exercise bike by the side of the dug out as he warmed up!
Henderson – Only came on right at the end but miraculously did not commit a foul!
Referees – Andy D’Urso was pretty awful from start to finish and showed why he has been relegated from the elite squad of referees that do the premiership week in; week out. A contender for worst referee of the season. He was maddeningly inconsistent with his decisions and was patchy with whom he booked and did not book. I felt he should have given us a penalty for a hand ball in the first half but I was a long way from it and those nearer the incident in the South Stand may be able to shed more light on whether it was as clear as I thought it was. I felt some refs would have given the one for Boro in the second half but it was a spectacular dive to the ground from Aliadiere. Regardless of the penalty incidents I felt D’Urso gave us little all game and a lot of the 50/50’s went to them. I lost count of the number of free kicks he gave them in the last third. Some of the bookings were odd decisions compared with some he did not give. The one where Quinn was chopped down early on and no card was given and then Cresswell and Robson committed nowhere near as late/bad fouls and were both booked. Could not understand why Williamson got tripped up and then was booked a free kick given to Boro? The Boro bench all jumped up over this moment. Can anyone clear this up? It seemed a bizarre decision again by D’Urso. There were so many moments that baffled fans all around the ground. The incident where Evans went down with a head injury and he played on and then in the second half when one of their players had a head injury he blew up straight away. He made both teams take throw in’s/free kick’s in the right place but then let Hoyte gain 15 yards in the second half for a throw in. As I say just maddeningly inconsistent.
Atmosphere/crowd – Very poor following from Boro considering they were in the Premiership last year and the relatively short distance. However, the ground was very quiet first half with the only noise created in frustration by D’Urso’s strange refereeing performance. Things livened up a bit in the second half and the goal brought the crowd even more into it and then as the United performance improved so did not noise and support from the Blades fans.
United made one change from the side that beat QPR in the week with Kyle Walker coming in for Derek Geary but did name Henderson, Ward and Camara on the bench. Boro had three debutants in Barry Robson, Willo Flood and Chris Killen; all having arrived from Celtic in the week and started with Jeremie Aliadiere up front with former Blade Marcus Bent on the bench.
United began the game with a fluent move that saw Evans lay the ball off but Wheater blocked Cresswell off but Boro had also began well as an attacking force and Walker had to see off Killen from one break. Morgan blocked Osbourne’s shot and then Flood nearly worked an opening in a largely chance free opening.
Cresswell was unfortunate to be booked for a challenge on McMahon after the same player for Boro had upended Quinn in similar fashion only minutes earlier. United had strong appeals for a spot kick when Walker’s ball seemed to hit Robson’s hand but D’Urso waved play on after a quick glance to his assistant on the right hand side. Walker’s slide tackle stopped Flood in his tracks before Osbourne and Riggot had two headed efforts that saw Bunn dive to gather.
Robson was cautioned for his foul on Quinn. The United player then clashed with O’Neill after the foul and both were also shown yellow immediately afterwards for a disagreement.
The visitors had probably kept the ball better during the first half but other than a couple of straight forward saves from Bunn, they had not really made any possession advantage tell. United would have been disappointed to not really test visiting keeper Coyne.
The second half saw United show more urgency and used width to greater effect. Both Walker and Quinn got deep into Boro territory and the best opening came when Walker skipped down the right and his low cross somehow evaded everyone. Williamson was the next into D’Urso’s notebook for a challenge on Flood and O’Neill had a free kick that went high over Bunn’s goal. United were certainly looking the more dangerous of the two teams and some nice football led to an opening for Evans after Williamson nodded down but the chance was scrambled clear. However, just before the hour the home side created their first real clear chance and effort on goal and the ball was in the back of the net.
The ball was moved left by Evans to Taylor and the left back hit a dangerous driven cross that CRESSWELL stooped to head home via Coyne with the keeper’s attempts to save the header in vain.
Middlesbrough attempted to get back in the game and had appeals for a spot kick waved away when Aliadiere went to ground as Morgan and Walker both converged on him. In truth there may have been some contact but the Frenchmen’s theatrical dive to the ground probably did him no favours. United had their own appeal moments later as sloppy work by Boro saw Cresswell dart in and go to the floor as Riggott challenged. Once again D’Urso was unmoved. In truth both probably were not penalties and certainly the hand ball in the first half seemed a much clearer award than either of these.
Johnson came on for Boro and his reverse ball almost led to a chance for Robson but the best move of the match saw Cresswell play in Evans who cushioned the ball into the path of Harper but the midfielder’s first time instinctive effort was over the bar. Ward and Camara came on for Williamson and Evans as the game entered the final twenty minutes. United had been able to prevent Boro creating many clear cut chances after taking the lead and the solid defensive pairing of Morgan and Seip continued to see off any openings. Indeed United were finishing the game the stronger and another decent move saw Harper combine with Quinn with the former seemingly taken down by Riggott as the ball span off into the path of Camara. The striker curled a first time effort that beat Coyne but hit the foot of the post and the ball rebounded rather fortunately straight back into the arms of the custodian.
Johnson had a free kick that sailed well over the bar and then Henderson replaced Cresswell as the game entered the final moments. Four minutes of additional time were played but in truth Boro did not offer a threat and could not muster another chance. United saw out time and were able to celebrate a workmanlike three points as they moved into the play off zone.
United – It is fair to play we have played much better this season and even lost (Newcastle and Cardiff spring to mind) but we were well organised and solid and gave up few chances. It was a game of few chances and one that will not be remembered but it was a game that as a team you just want to get the win and United did that.
We were quite poor and lacklustre in the first half and did not seem to have the same desire as we have had in some recent games. I felt if we could get to half time and not concede (in truth even though we were poor; they were not much better) we would improve and it was the sort of game we could nick. So it proved. We actually had 3 or 4 decent moves in the second half and some decent chances. We scored a well made and taken goal and then had a few other good chances from Harper and Camara.
We certainly can do better and I felt whilst we were solid at the back and competed well in midfield the same old charge I have levelled at the side for poor passing, ball retention and lack of creativity remained. However, it was nice that the few bits of quality on show in the game; were the two or three moves that led to the goal and other chances as described above. I felt if we upped the game we could have gone on and won comfortably but it seemed to take a long time for us to show some urgency. It was the sort of game that as with Preston could have easily drifted to a stalemate but as with the previous home league game we were able to get the vital goal and vital three points. Hopefully the Kilgallon situation can be sorted one way or the other this week and Yeates also may give us more in the last third. I thought Seip was excellent. Nothing flash, just unflustered solid defending using his brain aswell as his physical strength. I thought the midfield were up and down. They worked incredibly hard and as the game went on we won the battle and most 50/50’s appeared to be won by a red and white shirt so fair play to Monty, Quinn and Harper, especially in the second half. However, all of the midfield were frustrating with the ball with some good touches/passes mixed with hurried passes or balls that went long unnecessarily Up front I felt that despite the odd decent touches the ball did not stick enough with Cresswell and Evans who seemed miles apart. I think Henderson will come back in soon and with Camara and Ward as options we do have a bit more depth in the striking areas. At least not if the two in possession do not play well we have others who can come in; which has not always been the case.
Middlesbrough – They may say they deserved a point as they just shaded the first half but in truth they never really created much. They showed some glimpses of decent stuff but looked distinctly powder puff in the last third. A charge that could be levelled at us too but in the end we scored; they did not. That is football I suppose. There has been a number of times we have been in games and lost due to one good cross and clinical finish; and that was the case today to Boro.
Played some nice what I would call ‘tippy tappy football’ without really creating any significant chances of note. Mark Bunn made a couple of stooping saves either side of the break from a header and a shot but in truth I can barely remember any other real clear cut chances. I felt when we finally started to put pressure on the back line but United upped things second half. Hoyte for instance had been untroubled but was beaten by Walker easily twice in the early stages of the second half. Wheater and Riggott too had enjoyed a comfortable first half but Cresswell and Evans started to pressure them more and they started making mistakes. One awful crossfield ball and a shocking back pass almost led to goals for United.
Strachan clearly is struggling and if things continue Gibson may make another change especially the way things are going at the moment with trigger happy chairman. However, in defence of Strachan (and Southgate before him) the side they have is completely different to the side that went down. I was surprised the likes of Johnson and Arca did not start and it will be interesting to see whether the Celtic trio can cope with the physical demands of the Championship. Up front they looked poor although they did have players missing albeit players who have hardly set the division alight. Bent is coming towards the end of his career and for all the fuss made when we did not sign Lita he has hardly been prolific for Boro.
They are a side that will probably finish around the middle of the league and I expect the likes of Wheater and Johnson to move on in the summer. It certainly could be a few years of transition as they do not have the players like West Brom and Newcastle who managed to keep their core of decent players to contend.
Bunn 7/10 – Thought he was very solid today. Good handling all game, punched/caught crosses and the few efforts Boro had he was right behind them. He also hit 2 or 3 excellent low kicks that found their target with clever distribution.
Walker 7/10 – Good game. Won the battle with the winger and made the key tackles, blocks and clearances. Got forward when he could to support the attack and put the ball of the match in early in the second half which no one attacked at the Kop end. Only negative once again is that he nearly got caught out by trying too much. Fortunately his pace and athleticism meant he got back to recover any errors he did make.
Taylor 6/10 – Thought he was poor again most of the game save for the excellent assist for the goal. He was awfully slow to react to danger again at times and his positional sense does leave a lot to be desired. Constantly other defenders were having to mop up for him in the first half. He did improve in the second half and of course put in an excellent cross for the goal. Not convinced by him and at times teams seem to recognise he is our weakest link in defence and I was fearful every time Boro got the ball to Johnson near the end.
Morgan 7.5/10 – Rock solid all game. Won headers, cleared the ball and generally limited the Boro strikers to barely a clear chance or shot. Some of his headers completely killed any half chances Boro had such were the distance he got on them.
Seip 7.5/10 – I thought he had a very good full home debut. He read the game well, used the ball and more than that he defended well and did all the basics. Won a number of headers, tackles and also covered a lot of ground across the back four. Very impressive start.
Montgomery 7/10 – Defensively he was excellent; as he broke up a lot of play and won numerous 50/50’s in the middle of the park. His passing was a mixed bag again but generally after some poor performances recently I felt today we once again saw the positives that Monty offers yet again. The moment where he won the ball and ran 20-30 yards and then blazed a woeful shot into the crowd drew a mixture of applause (for tackle and run) and sighs/laughs (for the shot). This summed him up and his performance.
Quinn 7.5/10 – A good performance and he was certainly involved in a lot of what went on today and was not shy to get involved. It was certainly a performance full of running and he actually got up and down the pitch very well. Did some really good things with one or two good runs and clever balls. The only negative was that he was booked for arguing and continued to vent at D’Urso. I felt at one stage we may have to take him off as he was continuing to harangue the referee. One of those players that United fans will probably never be totally convinced by. However, like Monty they are the sort of players that of they were playing against you would be very annoying in terms of work rate and the amount of play they break up. They certainly never hide.
Harper 7/10 – I think he has steadily improved since his earlier performances in a Blades shirt. Seems to be getting fitter and stronger and whilst he still does not get on the ball enough for me; he does use it wisely when he had it and tries to get ahead of the strikers. Slowly starting to turn things around.
Williamson 5.5/10 – Not at home playing wide right and did not get in the game very much. His actual touch and passing was also off for much of today. He kept going but was eventually taken off and I think Blackwell realised it had not worked. Need to see him have a long run in the central area of the pitch.
Cresswell 7/10 – Thought for long stretches he was not in the game in terms of being on the ball but despite this his honest toil and chasing down of defenders saw the defenders start to make mistakes as the match wore on. He does not exactly convince me in general play and most of his game is based on work off the ball or winning the odd aerial ball. However, despite this criticism which I have levelled at him in previous games too; he once again got in the right place to score the all important goal and has a knack for getting in the right areas and hitting the back of the net. He is proving to be an excellent finisher and has scored some crucial goals for us. This knack kind of makes up for the unremarkable performances as if you don’t score, you don’t win games.
Evans 6/10 – Still frustrating me as he has improved his general play but he certainly looks no nearer getting a goal for me. He seems to be playing too far up the pitch and a couple of good balls across the box I would have expected him to be nearer. Also want him to win a few more headers and physical challenges as he lets himself be knocked about too easily. Definitely a good footballer though and played one or two clever knock downs that led to chances in the second half and showed he has a good football brain with a couple of clever reverse passes that set us on the attack. Strangely had just started to improve when he was taken off.
Subs –
Camara – Came on final 20 minutes but felt he hardly ‘bust a gut’ when he came on but I suppose we have to accept that is his style. He nearly scored a clinching goal and was unlucky it hit the post. He does keep the ball well when he does have it though and has a very good touch.
Ward – Played wide right but did not get that involved in the game as United were trying not to throw too many players forward. Maybe he had burnt himself out on the exercise bike by the side of the dug out as he warmed up!
Henderson – Only came on right at the end but miraculously did not commit a foul!
Referees – Andy D’Urso was pretty awful from start to finish and showed why he has been relegated from the elite squad of referees that do the premiership week in; week out. A contender for worst referee of the season. He was maddeningly inconsistent with his decisions and was patchy with whom he booked and did not book. I felt he should have given us a penalty for a hand ball in the first half but I was a long way from it and those nearer the incident in the South Stand may be able to shed more light on whether it was as clear as I thought it was. I felt some refs would have given the one for Boro in the second half but it was a spectacular dive to the ground from Aliadiere. Regardless of the penalty incidents I felt D’Urso gave us little all game and a lot of the 50/50’s went to them. I lost count of the number of free kicks he gave them in the last third. Some of the bookings were odd decisions compared with some he did not give. The one where Quinn was chopped down early on and no card was given and then Cresswell and Robson committed nowhere near as late/bad fouls and were both booked. Could not understand why Williamson got tripped up and then was booked a free kick given to Boro? The Boro bench all jumped up over this moment. Can anyone clear this up? It seemed a bizarre decision again by D’Urso. There were so many moments that baffled fans all around the ground. The incident where Evans went down with a head injury and he played on and then in the second half when one of their players had a head injury he blew up straight away. He made both teams take throw in’s/free kick’s in the right place but then let Hoyte gain 15 yards in the second half for a throw in. As I say just maddeningly inconsistent.
Atmosphere/crowd – Very poor following from Boro considering they were in the Premiership last year and the relatively short distance. However, the ground was very quiet first half with the only noise created in frustration by D’Urso’s strange refereeing performance. Things livened up a bit in the second half and the goal brought the crowd even more into it and then as the United performance improved so did not noise and support from the Blades fans.
I enjoyed the whole game, thought we passed well in the first half with no end product and Boro looked very ordinary. Apart from the last five, didn't feel worried at all about them scoring, but at 1-0, you always worry the opposition are going to equalise.
