Frank Lampard makes "standout" Sheffield United, Leeds United point amid Burnley promotion battle

Frank Lampard has described Sheffield United and Leeds United as “the standout teams” his Coventry City side have faced recently after discussing his respect and admiration for Blades chief Chris Wilder. The Blades ended City’s good recent run on Friday night to take another step towards an instant return to the Premier League.

A game that many viewed as a potential banana skin prompted one of United’s best performances of the campaign, and they could have easily gone in at the break further ahead than their 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Gus Hamer and Tyrese Campbell. Rhian Brewster calmed a few nerves with his second in two games just after the hour mark before Jack Rudoni poked home a consolation for the visitors in injury time.

Impressively, United looked to have lost none of the momentum gathered before the international break during their blank period, and could then put their feet up over the weekend and watch their title rivals Leeds United and Burnley try to respond at home to Swansea City and Bristol City respectively.

Wilder and Lampard have enjoyed some good battles over the years, with the Blades beating Lampard’s Derby and then Chelsea in Wilder’s first spell in charge. Only Leeds have taken more points at home this season than the Blades and with Millwall, Cardiff City and Blackburn Rovers still to travel to Bramall Lane before the end of the regular Championship season, United’s aura on home turf is formidable.

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“It's tough,” admitted Lampard when asked about the prospect of travelling to face United as an opposing team and manager. “I’ve got a lot of admiration for Chris and I have done ever since I started going up against his teams, from my Derby days through to Chelsea.

“I think he's a fantastic coach, what he gets out of his team and how he sets his team up. They're a strong team in the league. There's no doubt. Of the teams we've come up against in our good run, Sheffield United and Leeds have been the standout teams that we've had to play and have shown some differences in the way they play.

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“I've got nothing but admiration. I'm not trying to say what could have happened from our point of view. I'm ultra disappointed with us but there's a lot of respect to be had for Sheffield United and the way they play, the power they have and the speed in their team. As coaches we want to be effective and Sheffield United are a very effective team in this league.”

Few Unitedites will disagree with Lampard’s assessment of their “effective” side, with the Blades on so many occasions picking up valuable results despite not being at their sparkling best. They may lack Leeds’ free-scoring firepower, or the remarkable defensive solidity of Burnley, but what they do possess is a remarkable and impressive winning mentality that has underpinned a promotion tilt when many observers predicted a season of struggle.

Lampard and Coventry could still play a big part in the promotion race, facing Scott Parker’s Clarets next weekend.