Preston North End vs Sheffield United: Sydie Peck hat-trick and Romelle Donovan's fine form continues
Sydie Peck scores first hat-trick by a Sheffield United player since Billy Sharp in 2019
Sheffield United have clinched back-to-back victories for the first time this season with a 3-2 victory against rock-bottom Preston North End.
Despite conceding in the opening minutes, the Blades turned the game on its head courtesy of a Sydie Peck hat-trick. There were just over twenty minutes between the 22-year-old’s first and third strike.
Preston clawed a goal back in the 77th minute, but it was too little too late as the Blades shut up shop to see out the win.
Slow off the blocks
United conceded just two minutes into the game after Andrija Vukcevic delivered a low driven cross from the left-hand side to find Andrew Moran before he mishit the ball, which fell kindly for Leo Leroy. The midfielder fired the ball over Michael Cooper to find the back of the net. The Blades have been so strong defensively of late, but were punished for failing to switch on from the get-go at Deepdale. Questions must be asked as to why the Lilywhites were able to create a clear-cut chance so early, as the Blades failed to retreat to defend a quick Preston counter-attack.
Sydie Peck hat-trick!
After trailing early, Sydie Peck took the game by the scruff of the neck. While United controlled possession instantly after Preston took the lead, they failed to create clear-cut chances until Peck stepped up. His first goal was undoubtedly an intended cross that floated over every man in the box. The luck for Preston’s goal was returned for United’s equaliser.
The second goal allowed Peck to show his class. After the 22-year-old initially won the ball back, he was played through beautifully by Ben Brereton Diaz as the hat-trick hero found himself through on goal. The Preston goalkeeper committed and found himself in no-man's-land. The England under-21 international showed his class and composure to create a shooting angle and found the top right corner.
His third was courtesy of poor defending from the home side as Harrison Burrows ran almost the length of the pitch, before laying it off for Romelle Donovan, whose drilled cross was met by Peck to complete a first-half hat-trick.
Donovan and Chong cause Preston fullbacks nightmares.
Romelle Donovan is starting to find some consistency under Chris Wilder. That’s three consecutive top performances from the 19-year-old, and he is repaying his manager for the faith shown in him. His contribution was rewarded with an assist after he supplied the assist for Peck’s third goal with the delivery that Peck was dreaming of.
After failing to replicate his effort against Lincoln City, Chong can take huge positives from tonight’s victory. He showed the bravery and directness that has been missing from recent displays. The 26-year-old played with a confidence that Unitedites haven’t seen too much of recently.
Jairo Riedewald returns
The midfielder’s last appearance was as a substitute against Lincoln City, where he provided a nine-minute cameo in United’s 3-0 victory. Since then, he’s been in and out of Wilder’s match-day squads. The 30-year-old played just under an hour at Deepdale, making 30 passes that saw him enjoy a 91 per cent success rate.