Sheffield United fell to third in the Championship table after shooting themselves in the foot twice in defeat to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. The Blades missed an early penalty through Kieffer Moore which would have put them ahead before mistakes from Jack Robinson and Sydie Peck, either side of Luke O’Nien’s own goal, put Sunderland in front.
The Blades had a go from there, with sub Andre Brooks testing Anthony Patterson’s handling with a well-struck shot on the volley, but United ended a tough period of games against Burnley, West Brom and the Black Cats with just one point out of a possible nine, ahead of this weekend’s trip to Watford.
Here’s how we rated United’s players on the evening... who was your star man for the Blades?
1. Michael Cooper 6
By far the busiest of the two goalkeepers in the opening stages of the game, making two smart saves at his near post to keep out Isidor and then Mayenda, before being beaten by Mayenda and Isidor before the break - although neither were attributable to the goalkeeper with those in front of him leaving him exposed. Made some more big stops after the break to keep United in the hunt Photo: Simon Bellis
2. Alfie Gilchrist 5
A solid enough display from the Chelsea loanee but United couldn't get much attacking thrust from right-back, leading to a change which eventually saw McCallum played out of position there. Some good defending to keep the score down, including one moment when Isidor looked to have broken free | Getty Images
3. Anel Ahmedhodzic 6
Couldn't do nearly enough to prevent Isidor getting in a shooting position to fire past Cooper for 2-0 but a superb challenge in the second half saw him dispossess Mayenda brilliantly after the Sunderland man had got away from Robinson with a stroke of fortune. Ended the game at right-back Photo: Getty Images
4. Jack Robinson 4
United were already frustrated by an error at one end from the penalty and that was compounded by another at the other end when Robinson skewed his clearance and allowed Mayenda in, with the Sunderland man taking full advantage. He didn't allow his head to go from there but it was a huge moment in the context of the game Photo: Richard Sellers