Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder's joke about Nigel Pearson

Wilder, manager of Sheffield United and a lifelong supporter of the South Yorkshire club, admitted some people might be “surprised” to hear him talk-up his Watford counterpart’s credentials given Pearson’s association with Sheffield Wednesday.

The 56-year-old, who took charge of the visitors earlier this month, won both promotion and the League Cup during a successful spell at Hillsborough in the late Eighties and early Nineties.

Speaking after the 1-1 draw, Wilder said: “I thought it was a fair result. There was always going to be an upturn (for Watford) when Nigel went in.

“It might surprise or shock people, but I do have respect for people on the other side of the city and Nigel is definitely one of them.”