Fight, frustration and a critical blow: FIVE talking points from Sheffield United 2 Manchester United 3

Already leading through David McGoldrick and playing with a confidence and purpose which belied their position at the bottom of the table, Bramall Lane held its breath when the ball fell at John Fleck’s feet inside the penalty area. Manchester United were at sixes and sevens. The midfielder paused to assess his options. But the shot he unleashed flew wide of the post and United’s opportunity - to take a giant step towards their first win of the season - was gone.

Wilder resisted the temptation to discuss the miss at length following a match which saw his side’s miserable sequence of results continue but, after showing the fight and desire to nearly stage a late comeback, produce the type of combative display he had called for if a victory proved beyond their reach.

“In a lot of ways, that was much more like us,” Wilder said. “We were on the front foot and aggressive. Listen, I’m not sitting here looking at things through rose tinted glasses. But we tried to bridge the gap and make it competitive against world class talent.”

With Anthony Martial’s effort bookended by strikes from Marcus Rashford, United were unable to avoid slipping to a 12th defeat in 13 outings. But as his attention turned towards Sunday’s trip to Brighton and Hove Albion, where they will attempt to begin eating away at the nine point gap between themselves and 17th placed Burnley, Wilder at least saw signs of progress. Solskjaer too, who praised United’s “weaponry” and spirit as McGoldrick’s second tested his men’s resolve.

“Sometimes, you can pick things apart so much, but other times you just have to accept that the opposition has people and things which can hurt you. They had that, they wanted to be on the front foot.”

THE BIGGEST ISSUE OF ALL

The search for a solution to United’s problems this term has led Wilder down a number of different paths, with tactics, team strategy and even the role of coaching staff during the pre-match warm-up coming under the microscope. For this meeting, another change of personnel was the method he used to try and provoke a response from his squad following their defeat by Southampton four days earlier, with Jack Robinson, Oli Burke and McGoldrick parachuted back into the starting eleven.

In truth, the reason why United have struggled so badly since September can be found behind the players’ ears. Confidence and self-belief are at a dangerously low ebb, with the anxiety which stems from being dragged into a relegation battle the final ingredient in what is a debilitating cocktail. Their interia at St Mary’s was symptomatic of a team hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

United were much more tenacious and only a fine reaction save from their former loanee Dean Henderson to deny Lys Mousset during the closing stages, denied them a point.

TWO MANAGERS WITH ONE THING IN COMMON

Around a half an hour or so before kick-off, Wilder and Solskjaer were spotted deep in conversation as the visitors ambled around the pitch; flicking through their complimentary programmes, listening to music and inspecting the surface where they would later record their 10th consecutive away win in the competition. The two men in the technical area had plenty to discuss. Pressure comes in many forms and it has been a constant bedfellow for both in recent months, as one attempts to guide his team off the bottom of the table and the other meet the expectations of a support base which, until Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, had grown used to gorging itself on a diet of titles and trophies.

“We never do things the easy way, and we didn’t here,” Solskjaer said. “Our start was very sloppy, we were jogging around the pitch, and that wasn’t good enough. But then the character came through and we didn’t go chasing anything. I don’t have any frustrations though, because we got three points from a difficult game.”

BERGE’S INJURY WAS A PIVOTAL MOMENT

The loss of Sander Berge at the beginning of the contest, soon after McGoldrick had scored for the fourth time since September, turned out to be every bit as pivotal as Fleck’s miss. Berge’s physical presence had allowed United to press high upfield, preventing Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba from finding their rhythm and Nemanja Matic from dictating direction and tempo. Berge’s replacement, Phil Jagielka, is the most experienced campaigner in United’s dressing room. But the 40 England caps and 684 senior appearances now on his CV could not compensate for his lack of pace against younger opponents of international calibre. Jagielka remains an important figure behind the scenes at Bramall Lane, but it was noticeable that Manchester United began sweeping long balls forward in the direction of Martial and Rashford following his introduction.

“Sander going off really hit us,” Wilder acknowledged. “That’s an important area of the pitch for us.”

AN UNSURPRISING SELECTION

Although it will have surprised some, Solskjaer’s decision to select Henderson ahead of David de Gea did not shock those who know the 23-year-old’s personality. The opportunity to face the club where he effectively built his reputation, winning a promotion from the Championship and then keeping 13 top-flight clean sheets during his second season on loan with United, is one the Norwegian suspected would appeal to Henderson’s ego. It did, and perhaps a little too much, as a combination of poor concentration and lots of self-assurance saw him present United with the opening goal of the evening. It was a gift - with Burke making a block as Henderson tried to control Maguire’s back pass and McGoldrick firing home into the empty net - but one the hosts deserved because of their enterprise and energy.

Henderson’s blushes were spared by Rashford and Martial, whose quickfire efforts ensured Manchester United led at the interval. But before the first of two flighted passes prised apart United’s defence, Fleck missed a glorious opportunity to double their lead; shooting wide of the post following a clever piece of skill from Chris Basham. Edged into midfield when Berge was forced off through injury, Basham was also inches away from connecting with a McGoldrick cross midway through the first half.

FIGHT BUT FRUSTRATION

After shaking his head at the sight of Rashford being allowed to pounce on Victor Lindelof’s pass for the equaliser, Wilder was positively furious when the same trick - this time performed by Pogba - finished with Martial scoring his first league goal of the campaign. Rashford’s second, and Manchester United’s third, was also impressively crafted. But United’s marking, as the youngster enjoyed as he combined with Fernandes and Pogba, less so. Ramsdale could also have done better, with Rashford’s shot seeming to fly through his hands.

McGoldrick set up a grandstand finale when he climbed highest to meet Fleck’s corner before a slice of good fortune saw the ball ricochet off a defender and onto his head. Mousset’s vicious drive as United sensed a comeback also seemed destined to reach the back of the net, until Henderson flung himself through the air and parried it away.

“We weren’t in a good place on Sunday, coming home,” Wilder said. “But that was more like us. If Lys’ shot had been a yard either way, or it had bounced back out to us, then the world might look a much better place.”