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

Sheffield United will look to build on their weekend victory over Derby County this evening when they face Neil Warnock’s Middlesbrough at the Riverside.

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, 21:07 BST

Baldock smashes a cross

but it’s pushed away by Lumley before a Blades head could touch it home

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 21:05 BST

Close to a chance

for the Blades as Osborn is played clear on the left by Ndiaye, he looks like he tried to square it to Sharp but Bamba got back to cut it out and give the Blades a corner, which is played short before McGoldrick puts far too much on his cross and the chance goes begging

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 21:03 BST

McNair’s excellent free-kick

somehow goes across the face of goal without a touch from a player of either side, it was crying out to be headed home and Crooks looked perfectly set to do so, but he somehow missed the ball completely and United live to fight another day... just

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 21:00 BST

Sharp heads wide

after some nice interplay from McGoldrick and Osborn, whose cross into the middle is flicked wide - Gibbs-White says the skipper should have left it, Sharp tells him in no uncertain terms that he didn’t hear a shout from the youngster and it remains 2-0

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 20:56 BST

Corner Blades

as Ndiaye crosses and Bamba gets across to block it behind, Fleck will go over to take... it’s punched away by Lumley

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 20:52 BST

We’re back under way

and Sharp looked like he’d sprung the offside trap to go clear, but the flag went up - at the break McGoldrick was introduced in place of Norwood

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 20:37 BSTUpdated 20:51 BST

Half-time

and probably one of United’s poorest of the season so far - they have barely threatened Lumley’s goal, despite a fair bit of nice interplay before it gets near his goal, and have looked shaky at the back every time the home side have gone forward. Need to improve and quickly if they’re going to get back into this.

Half-time player ratings...

Olsen 5

Baldock 4

Egan 5

Davies 6

Stevens 5

Norwood 5

Fleck 5

Gibbs-White 5

Ndiaye 5

Osborn 6

Sharp 4

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 20:32 BST

Three minutes added on

for the Blades to try and get back into this one before half-time - based on what we’ve seen so far, though, I wouldn’t be rushing to bet on it

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 20:24 BST

Goal Boro

and it’s 2-0 before the break as McNair smashes home after a loose ball rebounded onto the edge of the box, Crooks touched it back into his path and McNair smashed home past Olsen from outside the box to put the hosts 2-0 ahead. Big mountain to climb for the Blades from here

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021, 20:22 BST

Chance for 2-0

as Boro break in midfield, McNair plays in Sporar but the pass is a shocker and it allows Davies to nick it back, Baldock completing the clearance