Deadbat
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Sheffield United continued their impressive recent home form with a 3-0 victory over struggling Reading at Bramall Lane. The scoreline indicates it was a comfortable victory for the Blades but a closer examination of the events of the game reveals a far closer contest than the scoreline indicates. Indeed, United's most impressive performer was goalkeeper Mark Bunn who saved a penalty and also made 2 or 3 other outstanding stops to maintain United's long run without conceding a goal at home. The truth is that United took the chances they created and Reading did not. This in essence shows how close the division is from to bottom but also showed that Kevin Blackwell's charges have an uncanny ability to grind out results from games whatever the circumstances.
Untied changed their front two once again reverting back to the Cresswell-Evans combination with Henderson and Camara starting on the bench alongside new boy Mark Yeates. Untied also brought back Jamie Ward for Lee Williamson on the right side of midfield. James Harper started against his former club whilst Brian Howard began on the bench for the Royals.
United came storming out of the blocks and were camped in the visitors half right from the start of the game. They earned a free kick on the edge of the box for a foul on Quinn and then two subsequent corners after Evans' free kick had been blocked. Evans then had another effort blocked before Long gave United a reminder to be on their guard as he darted away and was blocked out amidst half hearted appeals for a spot kick. United went straight back on the offensive and Quinn's clever cross should have been converted by Cresswell who header over from point blank range. Walker then played in Ward with a quick throw and the winger's effort was turned around the post by Federici. United's domination was rewarded on 12 minutes when Harper lofted a half cleared corner into the path of FORTUNE who controlled and turned to fire in a half volley unopposed. The defending was very poor but it was a clinical finish especially considering it was a centre back who converted.
Reading came back into matters and had chances of their own. Bunn turned away McAnuff's low driven shot and then from rigth inside the six yard box Ingimarsson should have buried a free header but Bunn reacted instinctively to push the ball away with his right hand. Taylor then made a brave blocked tackle as Thorvaldsson shaped to shoot after the through ball dissected Morgan and Fortune. United were suddenly on the backfoot and for the next 15 minutes they struggled to keep the football and were trying to stem the tide from Reading. The visitors had a golden opportunity to level when Morgan was adjudged to have fouled Long from behind as the ball was played into the forward just inside the box. It seemed a soft award and there were hardly vociferous appeals from any of the Reading players but non the less the decision was made instantly by referee Crossley. Sigurdsson had scored a week earlier at Anfield but this time he could not convert as Bunn guessed right and pushed the ball away to his left hand side. After the ball was cleared the keeper turned to the jubilant kop and saluted the home supporters.
It was to prove a decisive moment as not long after the Blades raced up field and after Kyle Walker's surging run and cross-cum-shot was only parried by Federici and popped up nicely for CRESSWELL to head home into the empty net. In truth after Reading's chances it was an unjust scoreline but the Blades had taken their chances and Reading had not.
After the break Untied brought on Stewart for Taylor at left back whilst Blades old boy Howard came on for Cisse. Morgan was booked for a late challenge before Bunn saved superbly from Long as the striker raced into the box unopposed. It had not been a comfortable night for United desite the scoreline and Harper was the next Blade to go into the book for a clumsy tackle. As the game went on; Reading's attacking threat began to diminish and gaps began to appear once again in the visitors rearguard. Evans blazed over after a good ball from Harper. Rasiak had come in for Reading and not long after Kebe also entered the fray as time was running out for the Royals.
Quinn and Howard were the next to go into the book before Henderson replaced Evans. Almost immediately United sealed the three points. Quinn took a free kick after Montgomery had been held up and as Ward flicked on; MORGAN applied the final touch at the far post right on the line. The ball would have gone into the net anyway but the centre back joined his partner Fortune on the scoresheet by touching home. Yeates came on for Ward not long after as the game petered out to a comfortable victory for United with the visitors knowing missed chances earlier in the game had cost them dear as the home side's clincial finishing had set them apart in what had been a relatively even contest.
United - We started superby and could have had 2 or 3 goals in the first 15 minutes but then suddenly like a switch we sat back and were on the backfoot. Reading had 2 or 3 clear chances of their own and really ought to have scored at least one. The penalty was a let off and then the second goal was the crucial moment. In 2 minutes it went from potentially 1-1 to 2-0 and in many respects whislt Reading still had a few chances in the second half; effectively sealed the game.
On the face of it the result makes it look convincing and whislt we looked good going forward and seemed to create chances we also were sloppy at the back and better finishing or poorer keeping and the scoreline could have been totally different. We played some decent football at times but equally panicked and tossed the ball away too. When we got it down and played to feet we did look good and you felt we could get chances and score goals but all too often we frittered the ball away. One major positive is the work nearly all of the team did without the ball as evne though they gave it away a lot, they worked very hard to get it back.
Reading – Will wonder how they lost 3-0 with the chances they had but that is the nature of this division and probably explains why they are at the bottom. Player for player they are no worse than us really if you look on paper and on the face of their performance tonight but they lacked the killer instinct and did seem to let their heads drop at key times. I think they will do enough to pull away as they still have some good players and as their cup form indicates they can beat better teams. Players like Cisse, McAnuff and Kebe always look talented and seem superior to the likes of monty, Quinn etc but maybe we are too harsh on our players at times. There has to be a reason why they are third from bottom and why we are in the top 6. Whatever our deficiencies we are relatively well organised and it is infrequentl when we get turned over 2 or 3 (Blackpool and Scunthorpe obvious exceptions) in the last few seasons.
Bunn 9/10 – His best game for the club. Saved the penalty and made 3 or 4 outstanding other saves. Without him the scoreline could have been completely different. A couple of the saves were point blank range too. The penalty was not easy either as was hit fairly well and low down.
Walker 8/10 – Excellent performance again. Looked good going forwards and defensively and at times it is like having 2 men. He made the second goal with a surging run. A very old head on young shoulders and will be sorely missed when he takes his rightful place int he top flight at the end of the season.
Taylor 5.5/10 – Really struggled once again for the most part.. Made one superb tackle to deny a clear shot on goal but other than this it was a mixture of poor clearances/balls and usual lapses in concentration. The most annoying thing is his basic positional sense whoich means he is often yards off his man and stops him from preventing the cross. Physically very weak in challenges and shies away from physical contact. Not good enough I am afraid.
Morgan 7/10 – A mixed bag really. Some daft challenges led to him conceding a penalty; that was a little soft but still an unwise challenge and also getting booked. However, he did well aside from these 3 or 4 unneccesary dives into players and won the headers/made the clearances needed.
Fortune 7/10 – He is not the long term answer but I felt he did ok today. He clearly lacks pace and at times he looks very sluggish but reads the game well and kept to the basics. Lost his man on set plays a couple of times which could have led to goals. Took his goal very well for a centre half as it was not an easy header.
Montgomery 6.5/10 – A typical Monty game really. Won most of the loose balls, tackles and 50/50's but his distribution was rushed and the usual frustrating slices and hacked clearances. However, he did a lot of good things in tracking runners, stopping their midfielders from advancing and breaking up play.
Harper 7/10 – A mixture of class on the ball (some really clever touches and moments of vision) but frustrating moments too. Still not involved enough for me overall but as I say put one or two quality balls out when he got on the ball. Still seems off the pace (Howard ran away from him second half twice) and is actually quite slow when he is tracking bck and doing the defensive/ugly side of the game. Just would like him to impose himself more and get into the game more.
Ward 5.5/10 – Felt he was poor today and he did not get as involved as we would want. He moved from flank to flank but other than the one decent shot and of course the flick that led to the third goal I cannot remember him being as influential as he has in other games. Whether the rumours of a bust up with Blackwell is true or not I don't know but there was not much acknowledgement when he left the field. Do hope these are just rumours though.
Quinn 6/10 – Up and down. some decent things and one or two good crosses and balls but more often than not he tossed possesion away/tried daft flicks and failed to keep possession. Felt second half he gave the ball away more than he kept it and twice set them on the attack!
Cresswell 6.5/10 - Continued his knack of being in the right place at the right time to score another opportunist goal. He toiled well once again without having much overall contribution on the ball but he keeps getting goals and his work seems to free up gaps for others.
Evans 6.5/10 – Once again he looked ok in general play; held the all up well, linked with others and tried to play football but did not look a goal threat. Whilst he is contributing to general team play it concerns me that he simply does not look like scoring in open play at all.
Subs –
Stewart 6.5/10 - An improvement on Taylor but that is not too difficult. Still a little erratic and I do not rate him that much but he did alright when he came on. At least he actually got close to his man and generally stopped the crosses for the most part. Probably by default might stay in the team but like Fortune he is not the long term answer.
Henderson - Won a few headers and flicks but not really involved too much in any attacks of note. Brought on to hold ball up and help retain possession deep in their half and he did that ok.
Yeates – Came on but did not really get into the game that much.
Ref- A little book happy. Some of the bookings for both teams could have been dealt with by a talking to. Some like Quinn's bad jump in and Morgan's for persistent fouling were correct. Felt the penalty was a little harsh. I also felt as soon as Morgan touched the third in; then it would be offside and looked straight at the linesmen. I could be wrong of course.
Untied changed their front two once again reverting back to the Cresswell-Evans combination with Henderson and Camara starting on the bench alongside new boy Mark Yeates. Untied also brought back Jamie Ward for Lee Williamson on the right side of midfield. James Harper started against his former club whilst Brian Howard began on the bench for the Royals.
United came storming out of the blocks and were camped in the visitors half right from the start of the game. They earned a free kick on the edge of the box for a foul on Quinn and then two subsequent corners after Evans' free kick had been blocked. Evans then had another effort blocked before Long gave United a reminder to be on their guard as he darted away and was blocked out amidst half hearted appeals for a spot kick. United went straight back on the offensive and Quinn's clever cross should have been converted by Cresswell who header over from point blank range. Walker then played in Ward with a quick throw and the winger's effort was turned around the post by Federici. United's domination was rewarded on 12 minutes when Harper lofted a half cleared corner into the path of FORTUNE who controlled and turned to fire in a half volley unopposed. The defending was very poor but it was a clinical finish especially considering it was a centre back who converted.
Reading came back into matters and had chances of their own. Bunn turned away McAnuff's low driven shot and then from rigth inside the six yard box Ingimarsson should have buried a free header but Bunn reacted instinctively to push the ball away with his right hand. Taylor then made a brave blocked tackle as Thorvaldsson shaped to shoot after the through ball dissected Morgan and Fortune. United were suddenly on the backfoot and for the next 15 minutes they struggled to keep the football and were trying to stem the tide from Reading. The visitors had a golden opportunity to level when Morgan was adjudged to have fouled Long from behind as the ball was played into the forward just inside the box. It seemed a soft award and there were hardly vociferous appeals from any of the Reading players but non the less the decision was made instantly by referee Crossley. Sigurdsson had scored a week earlier at Anfield but this time he could not convert as Bunn guessed right and pushed the ball away to his left hand side. After the ball was cleared the keeper turned to the jubilant kop and saluted the home supporters.
It was to prove a decisive moment as not long after the Blades raced up field and after Kyle Walker's surging run and cross-cum-shot was only parried by Federici and popped up nicely for CRESSWELL to head home into the empty net. In truth after Reading's chances it was an unjust scoreline but the Blades had taken their chances and Reading had not.
After the break Untied brought on Stewart for Taylor at left back whilst Blades old boy Howard came on for Cisse. Morgan was booked for a late challenge before Bunn saved superbly from Long as the striker raced into the box unopposed. It had not been a comfortable night for United desite the scoreline and Harper was the next Blade to go into the book for a clumsy tackle. As the game went on; Reading's attacking threat began to diminish and gaps began to appear once again in the visitors rearguard. Evans blazed over after a good ball from Harper. Rasiak had come in for Reading and not long after Kebe also entered the fray as time was running out for the Royals.
Quinn and Howard were the next to go into the book before Henderson replaced Evans. Almost immediately United sealed the three points. Quinn took a free kick after Montgomery had been held up and as Ward flicked on; MORGAN applied the final touch at the far post right on the line. The ball would have gone into the net anyway but the centre back joined his partner Fortune on the scoresheet by touching home. Yeates came on for Ward not long after as the game petered out to a comfortable victory for United with the visitors knowing missed chances earlier in the game had cost them dear as the home side's clincial finishing had set them apart in what had been a relatively even contest.
United - We started superby and could have had 2 or 3 goals in the first 15 minutes but then suddenly like a switch we sat back and were on the backfoot. Reading had 2 or 3 clear chances of their own and really ought to have scored at least one. The penalty was a let off and then the second goal was the crucial moment. In 2 minutes it went from potentially 1-1 to 2-0 and in many respects whislt Reading still had a few chances in the second half; effectively sealed the game.
On the face of it the result makes it look convincing and whislt we looked good going forward and seemed to create chances we also were sloppy at the back and better finishing or poorer keeping and the scoreline could have been totally different. We played some decent football at times but equally panicked and tossed the ball away too. When we got it down and played to feet we did look good and you felt we could get chances and score goals but all too often we frittered the ball away. One major positive is the work nearly all of the team did without the ball as evne though they gave it away a lot, they worked very hard to get it back.
Reading – Will wonder how they lost 3-0 with the chances they had but that is the nature of this division and probably explains why they are at the bottom. Player for player they are no worse than us really if you look on paper and on the face of their performance tonight but they lacked the killer instinct and did seem to let their heads drop at key times. I think they will do enough to pull away as they still have some good players and as their cup form indicates they can beat better teams. Players like Cisse, McAnuff and Kebe always look talented and seem superior to the likes of monty, Quinn etc but maybe we are too harsh on our players at times. There has to be a reason why they are third from bottom and why we are in the top 6. Whatever our deficiencies we are relatively well organised and it is infrequentl when we get turned over 2 or 3 (Blackpool and Scunthorpe obvious exceptions) in the last few seasons.
Bunn 9/10 – His best game for the club. Saved the penalty and made 3 or 4 outstanding other saves. Without him the scoreline could have been completely different. A couple of the saves were point blank range too. The penalty was not easy either as was hit fairly well and low down.
Walker 8/10 – Excellent performance again. Looked good going forwards and defensively and at times it is like having 2 men. He made the second goal with a surging run. A very old head on young shoulders and will be sorely missed when he takes his rightful place int he top flight at the end of the season.
Taylor 5.5/10 – Really struggled once again for the most part.. Made one superb tackle to deny a clear shot on goal but other than this it was a mixture of poor clearances/balls and usual lapses in concentration. The most annoying thing is his basic positional sense whoich means he is often yards off his man and stops him from preventing the cross. Physically very weak in challenges and shies away from physical contact. Not good enough I am afraid.
Morgan 7/10 – A mixed bag really. Some daft challenges led to him conceding a penalty; that was a little soft but still an unwise challenge and also getting booked. However, he did well aside from these 3 or 4 unneccesary dives into players and won the headers/made the clearances needed.
Fortune 7/10 – He is not the long term answer but I felt he did ok today. He clearly lacks pace and at times he looks very sluggish but reads the game well and kept to the basics. Lost his man on set plays a couple of times which could have led to goals. Took his goal very well for a centre half as it was not an easy header.
Montgomery 6.5/10 – A typical Monty game really. Won most of the loose balls, tackles and 50/50's but his distribution was rushed and the usual frustrating slices and hacked clearances. However, he did a lot of good things in tracking runners, stopping their midfielders from advancing and breaking up play.
Harper 7/10 – A mixture of class on the ball (some really clever touches and moments of vision) but frustrating moments too. Still not involved enough for me overall but as I say put one or two quality balls out when he got on the ball. Still seems off the pace (Howard ran away from him second half twice) and is actually quite slow when he is tracking bck and doing the defensive/ugly side of the game. Just would like him to impose himself more and get into the game more.
Ward 5.5/10 – Felt he was poor today and he did not get as involved as we would want. He moved from flank to flank but other than the one decent shot and of course the flick that led to the third goal I cannot remember him being as influential as he has in other games. Whether the rumours of a bust up with Blackwell is true or not I don't know but there was not much acknowledgement when he left the field. Do hope these are just rumours though.
Quinn 6/10 – Up and down. some decent things and one or two good crosses and balls but more often than not he tossed possesion away/tried daft flicks and failed to keep possession. Felt second half he gave the ball away more than he kept it and twice set them on the attack!
Cresswell 6.5/10 - Continued his knack of being in the right place at the right time to score another opportunist goal. He toiled well once again without having much overall contribution on the ball but he keeps getting goals and his work seems to free up gaps for others.
Evans 6.5/10 – Once again he looked ok in general play; held the all up well, linked with others and tried to play football but did not look a goal threat. Whilst he is contributing to general team play it concerns me that he simply does not look like scoring in open play at all.
Subs –
Stewart 6.5/10 - An improvement on Taylor but that is not too difficult. Still a little erratic and I do not rate him that much but he did alright when he came on. At least he actually got close to his man and generally stopped the crosses for the most part. Probably by default might stay in the team but like Fortune he is not the long term answer.
Henderson - Won a few headers and flicks but not really involved too much in any attacks of note. Brought on to hold ball up and help retain possession deep in their half and he did that ok.
Yeates – Came on but did not really get into the game that much.
Ref- A little book happy. Some of the bookings for both teams could have been dealt with by a talking to. Some like Quinn's bad jump in and Morgan's for persistent fouling were correct. Felt the penalty was a little harsh. I also felt as soon as Morgan touched the third in; then it would be offside and looked straight at the linesmen. I could be wrong of course.
