Here is Nick Ames’ lovely report from Bramall Lane. Thanks for your company.
I would advise you all join Rob Smyth for the main course today of Liverpool v Manchester United. I will be back for dessert - Manchester City v Palace - later, which is the real quiz today.
Harry Kane: “I thought it was a really good performance. We made a lot of chances and took our chances.”
Kane says Ndombele’s goal was “incredible”.
Here is the Ndombele goal FYI.
WHAT. A. FINISH! 😍
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 17, 2021
From a tight angle Tanguy Ndombele has lifted it over Ramsdale and dropped it right in the bottom corner, with the outside of his foot. Stunning.
📺 Watch on Sky Sports PL
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Classic Graeme.
Only someone as miserable as Graeme Souness would try and suggest Ndombele didn't mean it.
— Ali Tweedale (@alitweedale) January 17, 2021
Full-time: Sheffield United 1-3 Spurs
It was all very predictable in the end but at least we all got to witness a wonderful goal from Ndombele. A bit of stroll for Spurs in the end.
Sheffield United are, unfortunately, doomed. On the upside for Chris Wilder, his team tried really, really hard, but were not very good.
90+1 mins: Kane should add a little gloss as he runs onto a pull back from Son but the skipper gets his technique wrong, leaning back as he smashes it over from 16 yards.
90 mins: Three minutes added on.
88 mins: Bryan has been very keen since coming on, so fair play to him.
McGoldrick is now operating near the halfway line, which is a novel approach.
86 mins: Sheffield United are just looking to lump the ball into the box now but the three centre-backs of Spurs do not look fussed. The latest punt is headed clear to Kane who is taken down by Egan, resulting in a booking and suspension for the defender.
Moura on for Bergwijn
84 mins: A long ball is punted into the box by Lundstram which is headed out to Sharp on the edge of the box, from where the veteran volleys powerfully wide.
82 mins: Ampadu sends in a long throw like it’s the mid-90s but a Spurs head meets it. The ball come back through Egan but his volleyed pass lands straight on Aurier’s head.
80 mins: Spurs look very happy to slow things down here but the last time they did that they ended up conceding.
78 mins: Son picks up the ball in the box, drops a shoulder and cuts inside, allowing him to fire a shot off which is deflected behind for a corner. The South Korean takes the corner but it is headed clear.
The ball hits the ref and the game is stopped. Andre Marriner has looked more effective than Norwood on the ball.
76 mins: Reguilon pings a cross into the box, Bryan gets his feet mixed up a little, so ends up turn the ball behind with his left boot for a corner.
74 mins: Bryan intercepts a pass and instigates a Sheffield United attack, which reaches Lundstram who swings a cross straight out for a goal kick.
Billy Sharp is now on for Basham. Good luck to him.
72 mins: Brewster comes on for Burke, who has certainly run around a lot.
70 mins: Kane has another shot from about 35 yards, which is about the third time he has tried it today. He must really fancies his chances against Ramsdale.
McGoldrick does likewise at the other end, as he smashes the ball straight into Lloris’ arms from distance.
All of David McGoldrick's Premier League goals came against clubs who were in the knockout stages of the Champions League in 2010-11.
— Richard Jolly (@RichJolly) January 17, 2021
68 mins: Brewster is also ready to come on, so he can run around for a bit without any chances being created for him.
66 mins: Reguilon swings in a cross from the left which Sheffield United’s Ramsdale comes to claim but there is a breakdown in communication and he clatters into Egan who whacks it clear.
Kean Bryan is on for Sheffield United, replacing Norwood who is been dreadful. Bryan and I went to the same high school, which is nice.
64 mins: Norwood swings in a free-kick which is headed up in the air, allowing Ampadu to nod the second ball towards goal but it is an easy catch for Lloris.
GOAL! Sheffield United 1-3 Spurs (Ndombele, 62)
Norwood loses the ball AGAIN! Bergwijn picks up the loose ball and dinks it over the top for Ndombele who stretches with his right leg, lifting it over Ramsdale from a silly angle with the outside of his boot. Ooooof!
Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA
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61 mins: Spurs spent so long looking very comfortable in this game but have really took their foot off the gas in the last 10 minutes and need to regain their composure and tempo soon.
GOAL! Sheffield United 1-2 Spurs (McGoldrick, 59)
Spurs have sat back for a few minutes now and are punished for their laziness as Fleck swings in a shot from deep for McGoldrick to attack and flick into the corner.
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57 mins: Kane gets the ball 20 yards from his own goal and just whacks it down the other end of the pitch for no one. A bit odd, I must say. Needless to say, the ball comes straight back, eventually making its way to Lundstram who thwacks a shot across goal but it is not troubling Lloris.
55 mins: The Blades knock it around nicely until Norwood gives up possession, allowing Spurs to break on them. The ball eventually reaches Kane on the edge of the box but he curls a shot over. Norwood is having a woeful match, that’s for sure.
53 mins: Aurier slips the ball through for Son to chase but Ramsdale gets there first to claim only for the goalkeeper to back out late on, allowing the South Korean to collect the pass. In the end, the Blades scramble it clear but it was another underwhelming moment for Ramsdale.
51 mins: Lloris picks out Bergwijn 70 yards down the pitch, the Dutchman takes a lovely first touch to get the ball in front of him, forcing Lundstram to take the Spurs man down. Kane picks up the free-kick 35 yards out and whacks a left-footed shot which Ramsdale is forced to tip over.
49 mins: Burke finds himself in space down the left but his cross into the box finds no one in a red and white shirt. The ball comes back into the area but Stevens’ strike is blocked.
47 mins: All the pundits are praising Mourinho for his tactics here being perfect but they probably could have played a 3-1-3-2-1 and still thrashed this lot.
Second half
Here we go again!
What can Sheffield United do to get back into this? Buy a new squad?
Roy Keane describes Sheffield United as “one of the worst teams to play in the Premier League”. That’s my sort of punditry.
Admir emails to say: “I reckon things would have been better for The Blades had they secured another season of Dean Henderson on loan which would have allowed them to spend those £20m spent on Ramsdale on a reliable goalscorer instead. They have struggled with scoring goals since their return to Premier League and no player scored more than six last season.
“They are not Barcelona 2008-09 but they are not Derby 2007-08 either.”
I am not a huge Ramsdale fan, either. They did spend a lot of money on Brewster but do not play him!
Half-time: Sheffield United 0-2 Spurs
Aurier and Kane have made the difference by making the most of mistakes from Sheffield United, who look devoid of confidence. Sheffield United need to mix things up or they will be going down with a whimper.
45 mins: Spurs have an eye on third. (Only one more goal needed now.
Hi @Will_Unwin 2 more goals for Spurs this afternoon and the ‘biggest game of the season’ (TM all of the media) will feature 1st vs 4th. At which point all fans of anyone other than ManUtd and Liverpool might want to invoke the trades description act.
— Richard Morris (@richardmorrisuk) January 17, 2021
44 mins: Basham sends in a dangerous cross which reaches Bogle but his vicious shot is blocked by Dier. The England centre-back is showing great commitment today, him and Rodon have put their bodies on the line a few times already.
42 mins: Spurs are in complete control here and Sheffield United look out of their depth, as they have done for most of the season. It’s nice to show faith in McGoldrick but he is, ultimately, a League One striker. Is it not worth giving Brewster a run in the side to boost his confidence?
GOAL! Sheffield United 0-2 Spurs (Kane, 40)
Sheffield United try to play out from the back but Norwood is dispossessed 30 yards from goal and the ball is played to Kane, who gets it out of his feet and picks out the bottom corner from 20 yards.
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38 mins: Reguilon provides some lovely skill as he dinks the ball over a Blades man, takes it up the pitch and lays it off to Son who hits a cross into the six-yard box where Kane is waiting. A defender, however, reaches it first and knocks it up in the air, allowing Ramsdale to get up off the floor and punch the ball off the line when under pressure from Kane.
36 mins: Norwood slips in McGoldrick, he cuts back onto his right foot and fires a shot which is blocked by Dier.
Fleck is the next to try a shot from distance but he fires it straight into the arms of Lloris. At least it is a sign of intent from the Blades.
34 mins: Stevens gets the ball a good yard offside but, due to the current regulations, the assistant lets play go. The farce ends due to the fact everyone on the pitch had stopped playing.
Burke gets to the byline down the left and then flashes the ball across the box but there is no one there to reach the cross.
32 mins: Ndombele slides a pass towards the penalty spot but it is read by Ampadu who glides in to clear.
30 mins: Ndombele is dispossessed on the halfway, Fleck brings it forward for the Blades but the attack quickly breaks down. Even after a couple of wins, Sheffield United look devoid of confidence in the final third. They seem more concerned with what is happening down the other end.
28 mins: Spurs are dominating possession, unsurprisingly, but Sheffield United hold firm on the edge of their own area. They ball is send upfield to McGoldrick, who gets it in front of him but Rodon reads it and takes the ball off him before any danger can occur.
26 mins: There is an incredibly large gap between the Sheffield United midfielder and strikers. I have a feeling they will not be offering much in the final third today.
24 mins: Kane instigates a break down the middle but his progress is curtailed by Norwood who eventually brings down the Spurs skipper after a couple of nibbles at his ankles, which see the midfielder go into the book.
22 mins: Rodon brings the ball out of defence and the plays it to a red and white shirt on the halfway line but the Welshman still seems to blame everyone else for his terrible pass. Luckily, for Rodon, nothing comes of it.
20 mins: Ndombele finds Aurier with a lovely outside-of-the-foot pass, the wing-back then lays it off to Kane who sees his cross easily cleared.
18 mins: McGoldrick is certainly working very hard, as usual, but he never really looks like scoring, which is quite important for a striker.
16 mins: Lloris is allowed to ping a pass 60 yards to Aurier without fuss, he plays it into Kane who is then cleared out by Egan. The Sheffield United man is lucky to avoid a booking.
14 mins: Son breaks down the left, gets into the box and drives a cross for Kane but it is intercepted and cleared for a corner. Son’s set-piece does not get past the first man and it is cleared.
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12 mins: The resulting corner finds Basham at the back post, he heads it back across goal but Davies is there waiting to clear. Some positive signs for the Blades, at least.
10 mins: The Blades will be looking to provide some sort of response and they almost do as McGoldrick slips in Burke, who finds space and slams a left-footed shot towards goal but Dier is there to block it.
7 mins: Game over? Probably as Sheffield United have not scored 10 goals all season in the league. When you are doing as badly as the Blades are, defending set-pieces competently is the bare minimum.
GOAL! Sheffield United 0-1 Spurs (Aurier, 5)
Son swings in the resulting corner, which Aurier nods in at the front post, resulting in a shout from a Blades player: “Too f*cking easy.”
Updated
4 mins: Sheffield United providing their usual high energy to press the Spurs defence but the visitors still get out pretty easily.
Bergwijn picks up the ball from Kane 25 yards from goal, gets it out of his feet and drives the ball towards goal, forcing Ramsdale to push the ball over the bar.
2 mins: As predicted, Spurs have started with three at the back; Rodon on the right, Dier central and Davies on the left.
Down the other end, Spurs are looking pretty confident and have already forced the Blades into a couple of blocks. Sheffield United a looking very compact.
Kick-off!
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
Our man at the match, Nick Ames, describes the weather in Sheffield as ‘chilly but OK’. More insight from him as we get it.
I have only ever been to Bramall Lane once but that was to cover their drop into League One, so at least I witnessed a moment in history.
I had fishcakes for lunch but no strawberry Nesquik, so it was not a complete meal.
Something to think about for later ...
Do Sheffield United have any hope of staying up? Nope, not at all. At least they can have some fun now they have actually won at match. Wilder will be desperate to at least take a few scalps before the end of the season and Spurs would be a decent one to start with.
The lads.
The Gaffers. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/NmfhVUvClk
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) January 17, 2021
Along with Alli, Harvey White also misses on the matchday squad. The young midfielder was another who looked impressive at Marine but his place on the bench has gone to Gedson Fernandes who has never looked particularly impressive and is needlessly blocking a path to the first team.
Sheffield United remembering better times ...
Enda & Ozzy combine to find Moose. 👊 pic.twitter.com/11GUd2rwIM
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) January 17, 2021
Dele Alli is nowhere to be seen for Spurs, which is very telling. Mourinho does not think he is fighting for a place in the team. Maybe Pochettino will be his saviour and take him to PSG. I thought Alli was decent last weekend against Marine, putting in plenty of effort and showing his quality at the same time. Sadly, for Alli, his manager does not agree.
Starting lineups
Sheffield United: Ramsdale, Bogle, Basham, Egan, Ampadu, Stevens, Lundstram, Norwood, Fleck, McGoldrick, Burke
Subs: Jagielka, Foderingham, Sharp, Brewster, Bryan, Lowe, Baldock
Spurs: Lloris, Aurier, Rodon, Dier, Davies, Reguilon, Hojbjerg, Ndombele, Bergwijn, Son, Kane
Subs: Hart, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Gedson, Lamela, Bale, Lucas, Vinicius, Sissoko
Good afternoon!
Sheffield United come into this game as the form side, having won an actual Premier League match last time out against Newcastle, which still counts, not to mention knocking the mighty Bristol Rovers out of the FA Cup. They are still doomed to relegation as they only have five points as we sit here in mid-January but at least they are now confident of avoiding the embarrassing 11-point mark of Derby in 2007. Not even a January spending spree will save them, which might explain why they will not be getting one.
Sadly, for the Blades, they are missing seven players for this fixture, which will result in a Chris Wilder re-jig as he looks to come up with the formula to defeat Spurs.
Victory for Spurs could see them go third, albeit briefly, a sign of how tight things are at the top this season. They could only draw last time out against Fulham at home, so José Mourinho will be looking for a bit of a reaction at Bramall Lane, as dropping points in two consecutive games to strugglers would be a worry. They might even change things up a little and let little old Gareth Bale start, which would be fun.
Anyway … it should be a fun game for all concerned.
Kick-off 2pm (GMT)
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