Chris Wilder was naturally disappointed by Raul Jimenez’s late winner but believes his Sheffield United side showed they can go toe-to-toe with one of the Championship’s strongest sides at Bramall Lane.

Chris Wilder’s ovverriding reaction was disappointment but taking away Raul Jiminez’s last-minute winner for Wolves at Bramall Lane this afternoon, there was a lot to like about Sheffield United’s display against a remarkably strong side at Championship level. The Blades were good value for a point, at the least.

But Wolves’ quality told in the form of three top substitutes combining right at the death - England international Kieran Trippier, former Blade Tommy Doyle and £30m man Jiminez - to leave the Blades without anything to show for their efforts.

And boy were there efforts. Sydie Peck covered every blade of grass out there all afternoon, snapping into tackles and using the ball intelligently when he got it back. Oliver Arblaster also looked good in a more advanced role.

Liam Kitching had his best game in a United shirt on the left of a back three. Michael Cooper had as calm an afternoon as he could have wished for until Jiminez pounced on Doyle’s miskick late on and was even named the supporters’ man of the match despite not having to make a notable save.

Results will always be the most important thing and Wilder did not shy away from that afterwards. But this was more evidence that United are moving in the right direction, going toe-to-toe with a side that should be right up there come the end of the season.

“I’m disappointed,” said Wilder, whose side are back in action on Tuesday night at Fleetwood Town in the League Cup. “It was a really good performance against the top side. It's not a yo-yo Premier League club, is it? As I said, it's possibly £150 million, times 10 seasons.

“They have spent a bit, but they’re an established Premier League club. They lost a couple of players, as everyone understands, but still got some really good players.

“I thought, especially second half, it was the game we wanted. It's really difficult in how to approach these games because if you go after them and don’t get the press right, they can pick it off and hirt you.

“I think the shape of the team was good. Good individual performances right the way through from everybody. And second half, it was the game that we wanted. From us, just slightly disappointed when we got into some good positions, good territory, that we didn't find the quality.

“They found their quality with the goal. We can talk about maybe we see the run; Trippier has done that all his career. A great ball by the midfield player, we don't plug the gap in the middle of the goal.

“It comes off Rhys, Tommy Doyle shanks it and it goes straight to Jimenez. People are quick to talk about how lucky we've been this season and maybe they might be quick to say that maybe we were slightly unfortunate not to get a result.

“I'm not sat here with rose-tinted glasses on, saying we absolutely dominated it. I don't like that when other managers do that. I see the game the way I see it. They're a good side.

They should be up there with the players that they've got, substitutions that they make. But we went toe-to-toe with a good side.”