Middlesbrough 2 Sheffield United 0 LIVE: Goals from Watmore and McNair give Blades mountain to climb

lliman Ndiaye of Sheffield United has a shot on goal: Simon Bellis / Sportimage

United will kick off a point shy of seventh place after their recent resurgence, and defender Ben Davies says United must make the most of the momentum they have built up in recent weeks after admitting the Blades are playing “catch-up” in their pursuit of promotion after their poor start.

After taking two points from their first five games of the league season, United travel to Middlesbrough having picked up 10 points from their last 12 available.

United are seven points behind second-placed West Brom and nine adrift of leaders Bournemouth, who they face at the weekend.

And defender Davies, on loan from Liverpool, admitted: “We know the Championship’s a tough relentless league and we’ve done well in the last few weeks to get on a positive run.

“Now we need to continue it because we need to be picking six or seven points up a week. The target is still to get promoted back to the Premier League.”

Boro v Blades LIVE

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 21:37 BST

Four minutes

added on for the Blades to find a way back into this, but it doesn’t look likely in all honesty... Boro will look to run down the clock from here and it’ll be job done for them if they do so

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 21:33 BST

Sharp goes through

and sees his shot blocked behind for a corner, which the referee gives belatedly

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 21:30 BST

Bamba clears

once again as McGoldrick’s shot looks bound for the bottom corner, but the defender gets there and clears it

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 21:25 BST

Stunning save from Lumley

as he gets up to push McGoldrick’s well-struck volley over the bar - it looked to be on target as he let fly from long range but the Boro ‘keeper was equal to it

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 21:22 BST

Final Blades sub

sees Ndiaye go off for Hourihane, 77th minute

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 21:19 BST

Bamba sees yellow

after sliding through Billy Sharp in an attempt to get the ball, probably the defender’s first misstep of the game and the resulting corner is punched away by Lumley

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 21:15 BST

Sporar sees yellow

after a bit of handbags with Baldock, he goes for a second bite and throws his head at the Blades right-back for no apparent reason and is booked

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 21:14 BST

Blades change

sees Enda Stevens replaced by Rhys Norrington-Davies

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 21:11 BST

Booking for Crooks

as he comes sliding in on McGoldrick and catches player rather than ball, the Blades man is up and moving OK but the former Miller won’t escape a yellow card - as Fleck sees the same fate for a challenge on Watmore

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 21:09 BST

Save by Olsen

as Sporar is set clear, the pass isn’t great to he’s sent wide but he looks to curl one and Olsen parries it stongly to safety, the follow-up is drilled low and saved more comfortably by the Swede