Sheffield United travelled back home to the steel city with zero points after a late penalty was powered home by Martyn Waghorn.
This defeat extended United’s winless run to five games, and some more injury concerns as Rhys Norrington-Davies went off early in the first half with a hamstring injury.
My Player Ratings
Adam Davies: 5
Didn’t have much to do. Went the same way as Waghorn for the penalty but the sheer pace of the shot beat him. Saved a shot at the near post.
Anel Ahmedhodzic: 6
Mounted attacks down the right. Steadied the ship at the back which has been unsturdy in his absence.
John Egan: 5
Unlucky with a header in the second half that brought a save from Wilson. Could’ve been guilty of conceding a penalty when Palmer was tripped by him.
Chris Basham: 4
Won a lot of headers. Did okay when having to cover. A poor challenge from him on Gyokeres which resulted in a spot kick. For an experienced defender, he has made plenty of mistakes in recent weeks, and that was arguably the worst.
George Baldock: 5
This moment of play sums up Baldock: he played a lovely ball to release Iliman Ndiaye. Then sprinted half the length of the pitch to get up and support and Ndiaye slipped him in but took an age to cross and the defender got back to block his cross. His highlight package is probably filled up with that scenario.
Rhys Norrington-Davies: 5
Impossible to grade RND. The game started poorly and he had to come off early with a hamstring injury.
Oliver Norwood: 5
It was a poor scrappy game, which isn’t ideal for Norwood who likes to get the ball down and open up passing angles. Nearly scored from an inswinging freekick which rattled the woodwork.
Tommy Doyle: 5
Tried to be a creative force with his vision. Whipped in some dangerous-looking crosses from corners. Covered a lot of ground again and always entered duels.
Ben Osborn: 4
Originally started in midfield but was moved to left-wingback when Norrington-Davies suffered his injury. Another sloppy performance from Osborn. Often slowed down United’s attacks down the left. Looks unconvincing and low on confidence.
Iliman Ndiaye: 7
Battled and worked hard, which is the norm for him. United depend on him far too often, to try and drop deep to get the ball and take on several players to progress attacks. I fear for United if they were to lose him through injury, which is a probable outcome given the poor injury record under this coaching staff.
Oli McBurnie: 6
Working his backside off, even with a hernia. Battled all game against a big experienced centre-back like McFadzean. Was desperately unlucky when he fired a long-range shot at goal which beat the keeper but not the post.
Subs:
McAtee 5 (Norrington-Davies, 12)
Fleck 5 (Doyle, 80)
Sharp N/A (Basham, 88)