Sheffield United boss hails "class" Michael Cooper moment as goalkeeper shines in Plymouth Argyle reunion
Chris Wilder hails “class” Michael Cooper moment as goalkeeper shines again in Plymouth Argyle reunion
Chris Wilder hailed the “class” moment between Michael Cooper and his former supporters as Sheffield United extended their remarkable record at Bramall Lane with victory over Plymouth Argyle yesterday. The Blades went three points clear of Leeds United after beating Argyle 2-0 despite an under-par performance.
It was Cooper’s first reunion with Argyle since his summer move north to Bramall Lane, with Wilder admitting on the eve of the clash that he was unsure of the reception his No.1 would receive after leaving his hometown club. But he was warmly greeted by the travelling support early in the game and shared a nice moment with them after the game.
Wilder ushered Cooper towards the travelling supporters to soak up their acclaim, to chants of “He’s one of our own,” before rejoining his Blades teammates for their own lap of appreciation. Speaking afterwards, Wilder said: "We were never unbelievably comfortable because Michael's had to make a save [a good reaction stop from Ryan Hardie’s glancing header.]
“I've got to say, I was delighted with the reception he got from his hometown club. That's class as well. Sometimes when players make decisions like that, they get battered for it. He's been brilliant for us and he made a big save again when needed.
"We just lacked energy,. Tactically we changed it around, we had to earn our money at half-time and we had the better moments without feeling incredibly safe.”
The clean sheet was Cooper’s ninth in a row at Bramall Lane, and the 25-year-old has not conceded a goal on home soil since arriving at United in an initial £2m deal just after the season started.