Magic 8/10 Sheffield United star answers question marks emphatically with star turn in comfortable Birmingham City victory
Magic 8/10 Sheffield United star answers question marks emphatically with star turn in comfortable Birmingham City victory
Sheffield United bounced back from last Friday’s disappointment at West Brom in fine style this afternoon, running out comfortable 3-0 winners against Birmingham City at Bramall Lane. An early United goal and an early Blues red card, for former Blades favourite Tommy Doyle, meant the pattern of the game was set pretty quickly.
A first Blades goal for Tyler Bindon was followed by Doyle’s moment of madness as he scythed down Gus Hamer right in front of the dugouts, earning himself a red card on his return to South Yorkshire.
Hamer later doubled the Blades’ lead with a quick bit of thinking to intercept a backpass before Patrick Bamford put the gloss on victory with a third from close range.
Here’s how we rated United’s players on the day...
Michael Cooper 5
The most trouble he seemed to be in was with the referee after a bit of pushing and shoving with Stansfield following a foul at a corner, and even that passed without any incident for the unflappable Cooper.
Unfortunate to not get a higher mark but he had the best view in the house as United dominated their opponents and hardly had anything to do, so he’ll be fine with that I’m sure
Femi Seriki 7
Could have had a pretty tough afternoon against his uncompromising former skipper Robinson as he lined up at left-back for the Blues but Seriki didn’t allow him to settle and an aggressive early run past Robinson set the tone and earned a chant of his name from the Kop.
The game scenario certainly helped but from then on Seriki was free to get forward at will, creating a number of positive situations for his side and perhaps influencing the decision to replace Robinson with Cashin, who played out of position at left-back for the final half hour or so.
Defensively he seems to be maturing by the game too - he has always had pace which is a real weapon going either way but he paired that with good game awareness to keep City’s threats at bay down the left hand side
Japhet Tanganga 7
It’s been noticeable that the classy United skipper has at times looked a little less composed when asked to play slightly out of position on the left of United’s defensive partnership in Ben Mee’s absence, as was the decision today to keep him on the right and ask Bindon to adapt to his left.
It made a real difference, too, and Tanganga excelled in the first half to get back after Gray had been sent through on goal and did even better to time the tackle to perfection and dispossess the dangerous Blues man with some superb defending.
There was still time for one manic moment as he tried to shepherd the ball out of play and ended up handballing it to avoid his man getting away on goal, but that and the resulting booking was the only blot on his copybook on an impressive afternoon for all of a United persuasion
Magic 8/10 Sheffield United star answers question marks emphatically with star turn in comfortable Birmingham City victory
Tyler Bindon 8
The jury may still be out on his Blades future after a slow start to his career here but he earned a recall over McGuinness and did his hopes of staying in South Yorkshire no harm whatsoever as he rose highest to nod home his first goal to put United in front.
It was strangely an almost carbon copy of McGuinness’ first United goal earlier this month, rising highest to head home a Hamer corner into the far corner, from the right, absolutely unmarked.
The first time I noticed £15m man Stansfield was playing was when he tried to run Bindon down the touchline and was robbed by the on-loan Forest man so effortlessly, and neither man deviated from those levels throughout
Sam McCallum 7
United have missed the left-back’s energy in that position while he was out with illness and he showed what he’s about on his recall here, getting up and down the left flank regularly and also dominating City’s forwards in the air with his gigantic leap. Replaced by Burrows to good applause
Oliver Arblaster 7
Handed another start as he continues his comeback and although there is still some inevitable ring-rust after so long out, these were some more really valuable minutes in the tank. It looked for a second like he’d got on the scoresheet, too, when his effort ended up in the back of the net but Bamford soon claimed it after getting the final touch. Came off with 20 to go to a standing ovation
Jairo Riedewald 7
A typical Riedewald performance in many ways, one of those that doesn’t get the headlines but keeps United ticking over in midfield by doing the simple things well. He gets it, he gives it and when it comes to him using it, he very rarely gives the ball away either. Also looked a lot more composed next to Arblaster
Tahith Chong 7
A good display from the former Luton man, who you sense is still trying to get up to full speed after his recent injury issue but formed a good partnership with Seriki down the Blades’ right. It wasn’t just invention, either, with as he put his foot in when required too - a combination which will do him no harm in the eyes of Unitedites
Callum O’Hare 8
Probably the smallest man on the pitch almost doubled United’s lead with a collectors’ item of a header after McCallum’s long throw was allowed to bounce in the Blues box and O’Hare got on the end of it, but Allsop did well at full-stretch to tip it wide of goal
His constant harrying out of possession was a nightmare for a Blues defence who looked all at sea with the ball at their feet and it almost led to another chance early in the second half but Allsop got there just in time to smother the ball.
His stamina levels are absolutely remarkable and even by minute 84, when most others would be tiring and some would be dead on their feet, O’Hare was still pressing and set up what should have been a fourth for Ings, before hitting the post himself moments later
Gus Hamer 8
There were question marks raised about him after an ineffectual performance in last Friday’s defeat at West Brom - although he was far from the only one - but he answered them pretty emphatically with another moment of magic here.
This wasn’t a worldie from the halfway line like the one he scored against the Blues earlier this season but required quick thinking of a different kind, correctly predicting that the hapless Anderson would attempt a pass back to his goalkeeper and getting there ahead of Allsop.
Even then he had a fair bit to do but went round Allsop before firing in off the post to double the Blades’ lead, with Anderson duly put out of his misery soon after.
Earlier Hamer took a pretty nasty whack early on when a poor challenge from an out-of-control former Blade Doyle absolutely floored him right in front of the dugouts, leading to a bit of a melee between both sets of players and Doyle being sent for a deserved early bath.
And by that point Hamer had already stamped his authority on the game with another assist thanks to another pin-point set-piece delivery from the right which Bindon finished off nicely, later combining nicely with Bamford for another chance and then forcing a save from Allsop with a curling effort that was heading for the bottom corner. Made way for Ings soon after
Patrick Bamford 7.5
Played in the lone striker role with Campbell, Cannon and Ings kept in reserve on the bench and wasn’t actually having the best afternoon of it out there, until he notched his third goal in United colours from close range after turning home Arblaster’s shot.
Before then he had missed a few chances, including one from Seriki’s run and cross that he ended up diverting back where it came from, and elected to try and square to O’Hare rather than shoot himself after being sent through by Hamer.
But his moment eventually came when some clever movement saw him get half a yard on the static Neumann and get a touch on Arblaster’s shot, with replays showing that he was just about level when the ball left Arblaster’s foot after, for a while, looking well offside. Replaced by Cannon soon after
Subs: Cannon, Ings, Brooks, Burrows, Soumare