'Worst performance I've ever seen' - Jamie Carragher brutally slams Sheffield United first-half vs Arsenal
The Blades were put to the sword in a chastening first-half at Bramall Lane.
Jamie Carragher has slammed Sheffield United's first-half collapse at home to Arsenal as 'one of the worst performances' he has ever seen.
United endured yet another humiliating half of football at Bramall Lane, conceding five goals to five different scorers inside the opening 45 minutes. Martin Odegaard opened the scoring inside eight minutes to set the tone, with Jayden Bogle turning into his own net before Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice all got on the scoresheet.
Chris Wilder's side offered little more than a few reckless challenges with hundreds of supporters leaving for the exits before the half-time whistle had even blown, while Oliver Norwood was embarrassingly hooked on 17 minutes as Wilder gave up on a back-four and moved to a back-five. In a woeful season, it was arguably the most chastening half of football United have suffered and Carragher pulled no punches.
“I think that was a disgrace in terms of a half of football,” Carragher told Sky Sports at half-time. “It's one of the most one-sided games I've ever seen. Considering they’ve come into this game off the back of losing two home games 5-0 in the Premier League, conceding five against Brighton.
"That's shocking, it really is. It's probably one of the worst performances I've ever seen. I can't think of anything worse I've ever seen in a half of football than that.”
United showed some semblance of hope in the opening exchanges of the second-half but quickly fell off, with Ben White getting a rare goal just before the hour mark. Arsenal stepped off the gas and made early substitutions, with Wilder grateful they didn't kick on and score even more goals.
The Blades remain rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, following a fourth defeat in five matches during which time they have conceded 18 goals. They are 11 points from Nottingham Forest in 17th and looking increasingly likely to go down.