Why Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has accused his players of "teasing" him ahead of crunch Premier League clash

United’s 3-0 defeat at the London Stadium was their 19th in the competition this season, with the result leaving Wilder’s side 14 points adrift of safety with only 14 matches remaining ahead of this weekend’s trip to Fulham.

Despite beating Manchester United, Newcastle and West Bromwich Albion in recent weeks as well as reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, United last recorded back to back victories in the competition seven months ago; something Wilder attributes to the type of individual errors which littered their performance against David Moyes’ side.

“These lads, they tease me at times,” Wilder said. “They show the right qualities at times - the craft, quality and skill you need at this level - and then they take them away. That’s such a shame, because I’m a massive fan of this group and everything they’ve achieved. But it’s something we can’t keep on doing. We can’t afford to.”

United challenged for a place in Europe last term, only a season after being promoted from the Championship, before eventually finishing ninth when the first national lockdown robbed them of momentum. Speaking before Christmas, Wilder claimed a “perfect storm” of “results”, “fans” and “almost zero fitness issues” all contributed to that impressive run of form. But it has been a different story since September’s return to action, with United struggling to achieve the same intensity levels in front of empty stands and some of their most influential performers ruled-out with fitness issues.

After losing John Fleck to illness before travelling to east London, Wilder saw Egan join Sander Berge and Jack O’Connell on the treatment table after leaving the pitch with a leg wrapped in a protective shield.

“The main eight picked themselves last season,” Wilder said. “But the goals we let in weren’t down to injuries.”

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