Sheffield United’s long unbeaten record went up in smoke as they were beaten by big promotion rivals Middlesbrough at Bramall Lane tonight.
On an evening when United could have gone 13 points clear of their third-placed rivals, their advantage was instead cut to seven as two goals from Cameron Archer helped secure a big win for Michael Carrick’s Boro.
United began the game in dream fashion thanks to Oli McBurnie’s early opener but Boro recovered well and finished the first half well on top, before Archer struck twice in the second half after Chuba Akpom dragged them level.
Here’s how we rated United’s players on a rare evening to forget at Bramall Lane...
Here’s how we rated United’s players on a rare evening to forget at Bramall Lane...
5. John Egan 5
Won his fair share in the air against lively forwards Akpom and Archer and an important last-ditch tackle late on snuffed out further danger. Saw a late flicked header from Osborn's free-kick saved by Steffen Photo: Danny Lawson
His ludicrously-long throw led to McBurnie putting the Blades ahead but was drawn out of position alongside Lowe for Akpom's equaliser Photo: Andrew Yates
Looked noticeably off the pace early on as Boro got a lot of joy down his side and it was no surprise when Boro equalised after cutting through United down their right flank Photo: Andrew Yates
How's your luck? After winning two good tackles just outside the United box early in the second half, he could only watch in horror as the second fell kindly for Jordan Archer who smashed into the roof of the Blades net to put Boro ahead. Superb vision and execution to find Lowe with a diag Photo: Andrew Yates
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.