The healthy disregard for one statistic that tells you all you need to know about this Sheffield United team

Chris Wilder’s side enjoyed 49 per cent. The visitors, 51 per cent. But the only statistic that mattered, United’s manager has insisted ahead of tomorrow’s return in the East Midlands, was the final scoreline.

Tracing United’s journey through the Premier League since that fixture, which finished 2-1 in favour of Brendan Rodgers’ side, it becomes apparent they are a team which prefers to use the ball effectively rather than pass for passing’s sake. They spent more than three quarters of Saturday’s match against Chelsea without it but still won the game 3-0.

“Stats are sometimes misleading,” Wilder said, reflecting on that fixture. “But I know what the most important one is.”

A glance at the table confirms the 52-year-old’s theory about those who obsess about possession statistics rather than results. Across the season as a whole, United’s figure of 43.5 is among the lowest in the competition. But they prepared for this clash in seventh. Norwich City, who are bottom and already relegated, had enjoyed 51.6 per cent ahead of their meeting with Frank Lampard’s men earlier this week.

Leicester, who finished the latest round of competition in fourth, also proved possession is overrated when they were crowned champions of England in 2016. Although United’s latest opponents have transformed their playing style since Rodgers’ appointment, they registered only 43 per cent en route to the title under his predecessor Claudio Ranieri.

“I’m sure, if you speak to Jamie Vardy, the owner, the managers or the supporters back then, they were disappointed by that,” Wilder said sarcastically. “I’m sure they were gutted."

A recent study by the CIES Football Observatory, a research body based in Switzerland, explains why Wilder’s refusal to place possession at the heart of his tactical strategy also makes physiological as well as sporting sense. United’s compact squad, a symptom of their rapid rise through the divisions under Wilder’s stewardship, means he can not rotate as regularly as other top-flight coaches. Analysing how teams in the competition move the ball, the CIES’ academics found United’s average pass length is 20.5m - longer than only Burnley and Newcastle. But this means those under Wilder’s command travel less distance in high intensity situations than, say, Leicester whose usual pass length is 2m shorter.

“There’s plenty of ways to play football,” Wilder said, expressing his admiration for how Rodgers had imposed his own philosophy on United’s latest opponents. “There isn’t a right way or a wrong way."

Events in South Yorkshire earlier this term demonstrated that skill, not statistics, win games when what Wilder described as “three moments of brilliance” condemned United to defeat. He was referring to Vardy’s finish for the opener, following James Maddison’s superb pass, and then the volley Harvey Barnes produced to score the winner.

“You like to think you learn lessons through experiences,” Wilder said. “We got undone by some magic but went toe to toe with a really good team.”

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