"What they do..." Wayne Rooney's Sheffield United verdict after Plymouth Argyle earn plaudits but no points
Wayne Rooney’s verdict on Sheffield United after Blades beat Plymouth to go three points clear at top of Championship
Wayne Rooney admitted that Sheffield United deserved credit for victory over Plymouth Argyle this afternoon, despite believing his side had outplayed the Blades in both halves of a tense Bramall Lane clash. The Blades eventually triumphed 2-0 to extend their lead over Leeds United at the top of the Championship to three points, but the game didn’t feel as comfortable as that scoreline suggests.
Only after sub Kieffer Moore’s 88th-minute penalty did United breathe a sigh of relief in a game that could easily have gone in other directions, especially when Leeds loanee Darko Gyabi missed a golden chance in the first half and Ryan Hardie forced a save from his former Argyle teammate Michael Cooper in the second.
Struggling Argyle finished the game with 63 per cent possession and with more shots on Cooper’s goal, but were second-best in the only metric that really mattered in terms of the Championship table. Rooney’s men remain second bottom but on the strength of this display at least a first away win of the season can’t be far away.
“Listen, we’re disappointed with the result,” the Argyle boss said. “I didn't feel we deserved to lose but that's what Sheffield United are, a very efficient team. Good in both boxes and that's what settled the game today. We controlled large portions of the game and then missed opportunities. Performance-wise it was good but results-wise, disappointing.
“It was a better performance, it's clear for everyone to see. I felt it was a good reaction to going 1-0 down and I felt we could get something out of it. It opened up late on and then the game was done with the penalty. But lots of positives for us to look at and things to improve on. We had some good opportunities, we were probing and getting into good areas.
“I thought we were the better team in the second period as well. We were positive and thought we could control the game, and we felt that's how it went. But unfortunately we conceded from a set-piece - it was a good finish from the lad [Gus Hamer] - and couldn't get the equaliser.
“I thought we deserved something from the game but that's football, and that's what Sheffield United have done all season. So clearly you have to give them credit as well ... that's what they do. We know they do that, and we fell short today.”