Coventry City 4 Sheffield United 1: Sorry afternoon for Blades as City run riot

Coventry City stand-in boss Dennis Lawrence has backed Sheffield United to still challenge for promotion this season, despite their sorry 4-1 defeat at the home of the Sky Blues this afternoon.

The Blades, looking to build on their midweek hammering of Middlesbrough, were instead on the wrong end of the same scoreline against play-off outsiders City, despite going ahead early on through Sander Berge.

“That’s football for you,” Lawrence said.

“I said to the players before the game, if we put in the performance hopefully the result follows and I thought to a man they did that.

“We could have done better with the goal but showed strength of character against a very, very, very good team who I believe will be there or thereabouts when it comes to the play offs.”

United remain fifth despite the defeat, but two of their play-off rivals in Luton Town and Queens Park Rangers face each other tomorrow and manager Paul Heckingbottom admitted his side were well-beaten against the better side.

“We’ve spoken about it in the dressing room,” Heckingbottom said. “It’s not finger pointing, just what we can do better.”

Hopeful for Wednesday. Muscle injuries and we hope they’re back for Wednesday we’re having to be really careful and not take the risks. We’re trying to catch things if we can early and having lads out for one or two games rather than one or two months.

PH: He has a dead leg. He was desperate to stay on. With how things are going for us, we want to protect him. Same with Ozzy, with his history.

“Too many of our players all had a bad day on the same day and when that happens, it makes it difficult. We couldn’t dig ourselves out of it and claw our way back in.

“We couldn’t create enough and they either countered on us or turned is with the long ball and played in and around our box.”

“No complaints.

“We were beaten by the better side but when I look at the goals we conceded, we didn’t half give them a helping hand.

“It says a lot about the game that Wes was our man of the match. That says it all.

and thank goodness that’s over - City could have been absolutely out of sight were it not for Foderingham’s multiple saves but they ran out convincing 4-1 winners as it was and the sight of the mostly empty away end by the time the final whistle finally put United out of their misery tells the whole story. Stay tuned for a full match report, player ratings and manager reaction

as a poor header lets him in, he goes for the volley on his left foot and catches it well but his big pal Moore makes a smart save to turn it behind

sees Ndiaye come on for Osborn as United go to a 4-4-2 diamond by the looks of it - Ndiaye behind the front two

as he volleys first time when Moore comes to punch clear a cross - McBurnie stays down and will require some treatment

and it goes from bad to worse for the Blades as Matty Godden scores from close range after being played in by O’Hare, I think - moments earlier Foderingham made another big save to prevent it becoming 4-1 but it now is and this could be a long end to this game for the Blades