Wigan boss’s verdict on Sheffield United quality after defeat at Bramall Lane

Shaun Maloney paid tribute to Sheffield United’s quality after their 1-0 victory over Wigan this afternoon continued their push for the Premier League - and worsened his own side’s relegation fears.

United were good value for their 1-0 victory, seeing a number of good chances to extend their lead go begging after Iliman Ndiaye’s early goal had put them ahead.

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Wigan went closest when Thelo Aasgaard saw a header well tipped over by Wes Foderingham but that was as close as they came to hurting United, despite a number of half-chances that boss Maloney was frustrated to see squandered.

Asked if the afternoon was as difficult as he had expected, Maloney admitted: “It was, particularly, the first 10 minutes. They put us under a lot of pressure and we were disappointed to concede early but I was happy with how we played after that.

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“The players gave me absolutely everything again. We had the chances we wanted to create in the second half but we didn’t take them and that’s maybe the difference between this week and QPR.

“I asked the players to play under big pressure, we knew Sheffield United would put that on us and at times we played through that. We had to defend and when we created the chances, it’s about how clinical we were and Sheffield United were better than us at that today.

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“In the last five or 10 minutes Sheffield United were very good, keeping possession and seeing out the game. At this stage it’s about being clinical.

“I prepared to win the game. They’re a good side with talented players and a really good squad. They have players who can beat you one-on-one and we knew they’d have chances but I felt we could win and parts of our performance showed that. We’re getting to the crux of the season and there’s that tension, because now we’re at the point where things are decided.”

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