Strange refereeing, two stand-out performers, patronising commentary and a new secret weapon - SEVEN big talking points from Sheffield United's defeat to Arsenal

But Chris Wilder's side put in a vastly-improved performance against Mikel Arteta’s men, despite a third defeat in four games since the Premier League returned. Here are seven talking points from the game.

Much more like it

This was far and away United's most impressive display since they returned from lockdown, and they can count themselves desperately unfortunate to not at least have taken the game to extra time. Their performance was still disjointed in some areas and was not as free-flowing as it has been at times this season, but despite another defeat there are at least signs that things are moving in the right direction

Two key men

Oli McBurnie was excellent upfront, despite some unbelievable fan criticism in the days building up to the game, while Sander Berge put in one of his most commanding performances in a Blades shirt since his move in January. The pair have certainly been no worse, on average, than most in red and white since the restart, but their hefty transfer fees seem to eliminate any perspective. Both are still young and new to the Premier League and, although £20m and £22m are huge sums for Sheffield United, it is small fry compared to the rest of the division. Proven players at this level are largely out of United's reach - but in Berge and McBurnie, they appear to have two good bets for the years to come.

That commentary…

Bring back Sky Sports. Darren Fletcher and Steve McManaman seemed to spend more time focusing on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - who wasn't even on the pitch - than anything going on on the field while United were pressing for an equaliser. The pair laughed when Granit Xhaha fell over his own feet and won a free-kick, before McManaman talked about his embarrassment when a United player was fouled. The tone of the commentary appeared a little patronising towards United at some points - at least one of the few benefits of being in the EFL was the excellent, knowledgeable commentary and punditry that seems to be lacking in some quarters in the Premier League.

A new weapon?

United have gained points and plaudits alike for their style of football under Chris Wilder but against Arsenal, a possible new weapon emerged - Jack Robinson's long-throw. No, United are unlikely to suddenly become Stoke City II and play for throw-ins so they can launch it into the box. But today, with McBurnie winning everything in the air, it became another string to their bow and might be something that we see utilised more while Robinson deputies for Jack O'Connell

What if…

Imagine United, during the spells they were on top of Arsenal and especially after getting back to 1-1 and pressing for a late winner, roared on by 29,000 Blades fans at Bramall Lane? We'll never know, of course, but it's hard to imagine that it wouldn't have had even a chance of influencing the outcome. Of course, the game was played behind closed doors and the reasons why are well documented. But behind-closed-doors football seems to have affected United more than most other clubs and it's difficult not to speculate where their FA Cup adventure may have ended if Covid-19 had not hit.

The man in the middle

Staggeringly, BT Sport's Peter Walton's revelation - something along the lines of 'a foul in the penalty box is a penalty' - wasn't the most remarkable refereeing performance today. Step forward Paul Tierney, whose highlights included stopping the game so a player who was already off the field could be treated and penalising John Fleck for winning a header, after noticing that the ball had bounced in United's favour and they were about to start an attack. For the penalty, there was contact but it was soft and although I am not suggesting Tierney has some kind of anti-United agenda, his competence deserves questioning. As does the decision to give him this game not long after he, as the VAR, didn't allow United's goal at Aston Villa that was clearly over the line.

Back at Bramall Lane

After three successive away games thanks to a quirk of the fixture list, the Blades were back on familiar territory and what a magnificent occasion it would have been, both for the club and the city of Sheffield, if the game had been played as planned. It wasn't to be, but there are certainly positive signs ahead of Thursday's mouthwatering clash against Jose Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur back in S2.

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