Right, what a game. Thanks for your company. Bye!
Solskjær speaks. “It’s football, sometimes it’s beyond tactics,” he says. “The energy of their team to ours, it was such a big difference [in the first half]. The difference between this team and last year’s team is huge. At 2-0 down my mind’s going back to Everton. Last year we would have been three, four or five down. There is no doubt about the drive, the attitude, the energy of these boys.” Asked why United were so poor for 70-odd minutes, he candidly responds: “They looked like they wanted it more than us and believed more than us. We had one shot on target in the first half and that’s unacceptable – not good enough. It’s mixed emotions because we have not performed in the majority of the game. But these boys showed what we are capable of – if we’re right.”
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Read our match report from Bramall Lane:
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Chris Wilder tries to put it into words. “Won it, lost it and got a result out of it,” he says. “I just said to the players, ‘We are not in League One now. When you have the likes of them four [Martial, Rashford, James, Greenwood] at the top of the pitch, if you lose a little bit of energy and they turn the ball over, they are going to punish you and they did.’ Full credit to Manchester United to get themselves back into the lead but full credit to Sheffield United as well, for getting something out a game I think we deserved something from. We weren’t bad, we weren’t bad ...”
Some post-match reaction. “I said ‘never in doubt,” a smiling Oli McBurnie says, when asked what he said to Andre Marriner at full-time. “The boys were getting me scared saying it touched my hand when I knew it hadn’t. We’ve had a couple of VAR [calls] go against us so it would have been just our luck. The boys grafted unbelievably – the boys were different class in the first half. When we are at our best, we are good enough to compete against anyone.” John Fleck, who opened the scoring a long, long time ago, adds: “We know we haven’t got the same qualities as some of the bigger teams in the league so we have to fight for everything.”
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Who needs a lie down? It would have been a travesty if Sheffield United, who move up to sixth, came away from an epic encounter empty-handed. The usual suspects were immense for the hosts – Lundstram, Baldock, Norwood – but back came Manchester United, with Daniel James, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford turning it on to help the visitors take an unlikely lead. But then Robinson picked out McBurnie, who kept his balance – desperately trying to keep his long arms out of the equation – to stab home an equaliser. A good ole fashioned six-goal thriller it is.
Full-time: Sheffield United 3-3 Man Utd
What. A. Game! Oli McBurnie strikes to deny Manchester United a fairytale comeback victory at Bramall Lane. Chris Wilder’s side were cruising and two goals to the good before Brandon Williams’s first goal for the club – a wicked half volley – kickstarted a United comeback. Mason Greenwood swept home before Marcus Rashford thought he had found the winner. But back came Sheffield United, with Robinson teeing up McBurnie to finish inside the box and claim a thoroughly deserved point.
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90+2 min: The goal stands! Bramall Lane erupts! A wonderful delayed celebration for McBurnie, who did magnificently to prop the ball up on his right knee before hammering in on the volley. Callum Robinson, the substitute, did magnificently to keep the ball alive and dink it into the path of McBurnie, who powered it in, cueing delirium in the stands.
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VAR is checking it ...
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GOAL! Sheffield United 3-3 Man Utd (McBurnie, 90)
Oliver McBurnie strikes!!
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89 min: O’Connell cannot divert Norwood’s corner goalwards. Manchester United can calm things down from a De Gea goal-kick.
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88 min: Sheffield United win a corner ...
86 min: Sheffield United are probing but then Billy Sharp is flagged offside. They must be livid with themselves.
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85 min: Martial trudges off in slow motion. Tuanzebe’s on.
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84 min: Was this the plan all along? Manchester United are beginning to torment a weary-looking Sheffield United. Greenwood, James, Rashford and Martial are combining to deadly effect.
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83 min: Callum Robinson is on for Sheffield United. He replaces Chris Basham. Meanwhile, Solskjær is readying Tuanzebe.
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82 min: For 70 minutes, Manchester United were nothing short of abysmal, with Sheffield United cruising against one of the game’s heavyweights. But suddenly things kicked, with Brandon Williams’s first goal for the club prompting an unlikely turnaround.
GOAL! Sheffield United 2-3 Man Utd (Rashford, 80)
Well, well, well! Rashford clinically rounds off an incisive break by Manchester United, with Daniel James playing a cute give-and-go with Anthony Martial. James whizzes into the box and pulls the ball back for Rashford, who does the rest. Another moment of quality from a United team that looked dead and buried. On the touchline, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and co embrace. Up in the gods, Sir Alex Ferguson is all smiles.
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78 min: Billy Sharp replaces McGoldrick.
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GOAL! Sheffield United 2-2 Man Utd (Greenwood, 77)
Mason Greenwood fires in an equaliser! Rashford dinks in a delicious cross from the right and Greenwood gets in between Jagielka and Basham to poke in, sweeping home inside the box. Another goal for the teenager – his first in the Premier League. That’s a wonderful leveller.
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75 min: Can Manchester United fashion an equaliser? Sheffield United are yet to concede in the final 15 minutes in the Premier League this season.
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74 min: Mason Greenwood replaces Pereira.
GOAL! Sheffield United 2-1 Man Utd (Williams, 72)
The teenager fires in his first goal for the club – and it’s a truly exquisite finish. Dan James sped down the right and his hanging cross evaded everyone in the box. Lurking at the back post was Williams, the 19-year-old who smacked the ball into the far corner of Simon Moore’s goal on the half volley. A belting finish by Brandon Williams. And here comes another teenager ...
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70 min: McGoldrick’s daisy-cutter is gathered by De Gea.
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69 min: Sheffield United supporters are enjoying themselves. An a cappella version of Greasy Chip Butty fills the air. Chris Wilder’s side are in such great control of this game it’s unreal. They have been so untroubled.
68 min: McBurnie replaces Mousset.
66 min: Mousset has pulled a hamstring. Chris Wilder had been plotting to bring the striker off. As a limping Mousset chased a lost cause, he pulls up in discomfort. Oli McBurnie will replace the Frenchman, who proved a real nuisance for a shambolic defence.
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64 min: Martial has a pop from 30 yards, but it cannons wide of Moore’s right post! Plenty of power – but ultimately off target. Manchester United poked the ball around in midfield before Martial, presumably fed up, just thought: why not? They have been ambling around.
61 min: Lundstram does put a foot wrong, and United pile forward down the right. Daniel James beats his man for pace but his cross is gobbled up by Moore. Easy pickings for the stand-in Sheffield United stopper.
59 min: John Lundstram has been brilliant – again. The midfielder shakes off a couple of half-hearted United challenges to retain possession before spreading play to George Baldock, who has had a stormer at full-back. The one staggering thing from a Manchester United perspective is that Simon Moore, on his Premier League debut in goal, has barely had a save to make.
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57 min: “Chrissy Wilder, he’s one of our own,” is the chant that echoes around Bramall Lane. “Chrissy Wilder and Alan Knill ... ”
55 min: Manchester United had shown the smallest of green shoots but Mousset has left Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side with a mountain to climb. To make matters worse, Sheffield United have not a lost a league game they have taken the lead in since January 2014 – that’s 89 games. Manchester United have serious work to do.
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GOAL! Sheffield United 2-0 Man Utd (Mousset, 52)
Lys Mousset with at thumping finish from distance! It’s role reversal from the opener, with Fleck sliding a wonderful pass in for Mousset, who drifts away from Maguire before sending a beautifully-weighted strike arrowing into the bottom corner of David de Gea’s goal. Pereira surrendered possession for the visitors and how Sheffield United punished them.
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51 min: Lundstram’s cynical challenge on Lingard earns him a booking. United were beginning to break at speed after Fred stole in.
50 min: Brandon Williams is booked for chopping down George Baldock, who has had a very good game. Sheffield United earn a free-kick on the right flank. Fleck plays it short – it’s a training-ground move into Lundstram – but the visitors are alert to it.
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48 min: Williams lays the ball off for Rashford, who twists and turns 25 yards out before letting fly. It was always rising.
47 min: Rashford surges down the left flank and Sheffield United appear in a spot of bother. But they don’t panic and they usher the forward out before Jagielka shows a touch of class, waiting to intervene. Rather than thumping it out for a corner, he concedes a throw-in. At least one Phil has had a peerless return to action.
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46 min: The visitors get the second half under way.
Lingard replaces Phil Jones, who had an absolutely diabolical return to the starting lineup. Lingard can’t do any worse for Manchester United.
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Jesse Lingard is coming on at half-time. It is unclear who for just yet – but Ole and Manchester United had to do something.
Half-time: Sheffield United 1-0 Man Utd
Chris Wilder’s selfless side deservedly lead at the break. A tub-thumping performance by the Blades. John Fleck got a little fortuitous as the ball cannoned off his shins and beyond De Gea but it was a slice of luck they thoroughly deserved. Manchester United, meanwhile, have been nothing short of dire. Phil Jones has had an absolute shocker on his return to the starting lineup. Hopefully Mauricio Pochettino is not watching.
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45 min: There will be one minute added time.
43 min: Things have calmed, so couple of stats. Manchester United have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 12 top-flight away games, their worst streak since a run of 15 in the 1985-86 campaign. And, also via Opta, John Fleck has scored in consecutive league games at Bramall Lane, having scored just one goal in his previous 50 appearances there.
41 min: Jagielka fouls Martial but Manchester United’s free-kick is weak. Chris Basham heads it clear and the hosts try to free Mousset. Chris Wilder’s side pour forward with so much vim.
40 min: Manchester United are making David McGoldrick look like Lionel Messi. He has had their back five on toast.
39 min: Harry Maguire’s going ballistic. He’s had not had a happy return to Bramall Lane – far from it. Fred overcooks a pass towards the back stick and Maguire tries and fails to keep it in before smacking the ball down in disgust. Manchester United have been feeble in defence and nothing short of disastrous going forward. Only De Gea can come out of this first half with any kind of credit in the bank. Dreadful showing – so far.
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37 min: Daniel James has had nine touches. Meanwhile Sheffield United’s supporters are belting out John Egan’s infectious ditty:
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36 min: Lundstram’s shot is blocked and, for a moment, it seems Manchester United can counter at speed. Dan James has the ball but tries to play the perfect pass for Rashford, who ends up fouling Jack O’Connell in pursuit of possession. That all petered out rather quickly.
35 min: It came to nothing but Sheffield United earn another in quick succession. The goalscorer Fleck will whip it in ...
34 min: Olés from the Bramall Lane crowd, as Sheffield United earn another corner. They are toying with Manchester United, knocking it around for fun. George Baldock has been relentless down the right. As for David McGoldrick, maybe Manchester United will make a move for him ...
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32 min: Fred tries to thread Rashford through – but the Manchester United forward is flagged offside. It looked very tight.
31 min: McGoldrick upends Fred inside the Manchester United half. A clumsy foul to give away. United try and build from the back but Pereira – again – squanders possession. Basham and Baldock do brilliantly to keep the ball alive down the right with Williams for company but eventually the move peters out. Sheffield United sense blood.
30 min: De Gea gathers a hanging Fleck corner.
29 min: Moore saves from Martial! Williams rolls a pass into Martial, who buys himself a yard, shifting the ball on to his left foot before angling a strike at goal. He attempts to steer it into the far corner but Moore is equal to it. It lacked a little conviction. And back come Sheffield United ...
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27 min: Harry Maguire’s lambasting Dan James for cheaply gifting possession straight back to the hosts. It has been truly abysmal start by Manchester United at Bramall Lane. They have been way off the pace.
26 min: Lundstram and Norwood are knocking it around. Sheffield United have played some lovely stuff. Manchester United? Not so much.
24 min: Sheffield United are swarming all over Man Utd, with McGoldrick the latest to test De Gea. McGoldrick fires a rasping strike straight at the United goalkeeper from 25 yards after Pereira surrendered possession.
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22 min: Palpitations in the Manchester United defence as Fleck’s zinging left-foot delivery flies past the back post. Fred helps it out for a corner but the visitors fail to clear their lines. Manchester United are well and truly under the cosh.
21 min: Phil Jones fouls Lundstram; he’s having a mare. Sheffield United will whip in a free-kick from the right flank, where Mousset bamboozled Jones a minute or two ago ...
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GOAL! Sheffield United 1-0 Man Utd (Fleck, 19)
Mousset bullies Jones and Fleck helps it home! Jones makes a mess of a routine ball into the right channel – it is pumped forward by Chris Basham – and Mousset wrings Jones inside-out before keepi his cool to get to the byline and pull the ball back for John Lundstram. De Gea saves from Lundstram but Fleck is in close company and the midfielder sweeps home inside the box. The visitors cannot say it hadn’t been coming. The Blades lead.
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15 min: Andre Marriner calmly waves away Sheffield United penalty appeals. Mousset charges into the box, surrounded by black shirts and Phil Jones, rather clumsily, ends up crowding out the striker. Jones ends up doing a touch of front crawl as he hits the deck. Mousset is inevitably tripped but does not really appeal for it and Marriner waves play on. He’s having none of it.
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13 min: Phil Jones goes flying into a challenge v Oliver Norwood – not one for the faint-hearted – and Fred is brought down in the aftermath. Some pedestrian Manchester United buildup play follows.
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11 min: What. A. Double. Save! David de Gea makes a marvellous save low to his right to prevent John Lundstram’s first-time volley from squeezing into the corner of goal before Sheffield United recycle the ball on the edge of the 18-yard box, dinking a cross in for McGoldrick, who heads at goal. But De Gea – somehow – claws the striker’s header away from danger. Lundstram connected beautifully with a lofted Fleck cross and McGoldrick should perhaps do better – his header lacked a little conviction – but take nothing away from the Manchester United goalkeeper.
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8 min: Basham and Norwood team up to prevent Rashford from advancing towards the 18-yard box. Rashford surged forward after picking up a Maguire pass, with Basham going to ground before Norwood stopped the England forward having a second bite of the cherry. McGoldrick was dispossessed by Phil Jones in the buildup.
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7 min: Fred tries and fails to find Martial, who is lurking just outside of the box. A poor pass. Sheffield United look comfortable.
5 min: Wan-Bissaka does well to bomb forward down the right before handing over the baton to Anthony Martial. Martial tries to flick the ball into the path of Daniel James but it’s wayward and Sheffield United hoover things up. No problem.
4 min: Jack O’Connell has a word with Mousset and the Frenchman is helped back to his feet. Mousset joins the cavalry in the box as Oliver Norwood whips in a corner. But he overcooks it and it bobbles out for a goal-kick.
3 min: Fred gives Lundstram a shove but Andre Marriner is having none of it. The Brazilian then catches Mousset on the achilles and the Sheffield United forward is down in a heap.
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1 min: Phil Jones is playing to the left of Harry Maguire, with Manchester United matching up Sheffield United by playing with a three-man defence. An early touch for Brandon Williams, who nips in ahead of George Baldock to head the ball upfield.
Peeeeeeeeep!
And we’re under way.
The teams trudge out on to the pitch ...
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We are less than 15 minutes away from a belting Bramall Lane rendition of Greasy Chip Butty. Before then, more from Solskjær on trying to improve Manchester United’s away form. “When I came in we went on a fantastic run away from home but now for one reason or another we haven’t got the results but with the form we got going into the international break, we’re hopeful we can change that.” Harry Maguire adds: “Liverpool came here and found it difficult. We have a lot of ability and we need to perform like we did against Brighton and the result will look after itself.”
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Some pre-match reading on Wilder:
Chris Wilder talks. “Every game is an occasion in the Premier League,” he says. “It’s still Man Utd, regardless of anything else, with top players and top manager and we’re going to have to be at our best to get anything. Phil Jones is an England international and they still have the top three players at the top of the pitch that have to be wrapped up but we are still confident that we can cause them some problems going the other way.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjær speaks. “Phil [Jones] has been training well,” he begins. “He’s got experience of playing both central midfield and at the back. When you show the attitude he’s shown in training, it’s time for him to get a chance. Marcos [Rojo] is injured, Axel [Tuanzebe] isn’t really ready to come in so it was an easy option. Brandon [Williams] has played really well in every game he’s played. I didn’t find any reason to leave him out. It’s a testing stadium for him to play at so it’s a good opportunity to show his mentality because his temperament is one of his strengths.”
Let’s party like it’s 2015, when Phil Jones and Phil Jagielka lined up together for England in Italy. Roy Hodgson was in charge and Andros Townsend scored in a 1-1 draw in a friendly in Turin. Jagielka partnered Chris Smalling, ostracised by Gareth Southgate, in defence while Jones floundered in a midfield role and neither have played an awful lot of minutes since. On the bench that day was Rob Green, Ryan Mason and Michael Carrick, these days one of Solskjær’s sidekicks at Manchester United.
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On the VIP list at Bramall Lane? Fergie, and Kyle Walker:
Team news news: Phil Jones starts, presumably as part of a back three, while the 19-year-old Brandon Williams gets the nod ahead of Ashley Young. Manchester United’s midfield looks rather lightweight, with Andreas Pereira teaming up with Fred. Jones replaces the injured Scott McTominay and Axel Tuanzebe is back on the bench. As for the hosts, Phil Jagielka makes his first league start since rejoining the club, his first league start in a Sheffield United shirt since May 2007. Meanwhile Simon Moore is in for Dean Henderson, who is ineligible to face his parent club.
The teams!
Sheffield United (3-5-2): Moore; Basham, Jagielka, O’Connell; Baldock, Fleck, Norwood, Lundstram, Stevens; Mousset, McGoldrick
Subs: Verrips, Osborn, Besic, Freeman, McBurnie, Sharp, Robinson
Manchester United (3-4-3): De Gea; Jones, Maguire, Lindelöf; Wan-Bissaka, Pereira, Fred, Williams; James, Rashford, Martial
Subs: Grant, Tuanzebe, Young, Garner, Greenwood, Lingard, Mata
Referee: Andre Marriner
Preamble
Welcome to the Harry Maguire Show . The England defender, who came through the youth ranks at Sheffield United, will lineup against his former club but beyond Slabhead there are all manner of potent threats for Chris Wilder and co to be aware of, and the straight-talking Wilder knows as much. “It’s Manchester United and one of our former players will be playing for them,” he said. “But I don’t want it to be ‘the Harry Maguire Show’. I want it to be the Sheffield United Show. I want us to show how good we are.” The Blades are in pretty good nick, too, having not tasted defeat since September. They will be without goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who is ineligible to face his parent club so Simon Moore will make his first league start for 18 months, a 3-2 win at Bristol City in the Championship. That day Enda Stevens, Jack O’Connell, Chris Basham, George Baldock, John Lundstram and Billy Sharp all featured. Nothing new there, then. As for United, five wins from their past six matches have stirred a gentle excitement and another positive result would do Ole Gunnar Solskjær the power of good now that Mauricio Pochettino is handing out his CV, hunting high and low for a new employer.
Kick-off: 4.30pm (GMT)
