Tempers boil over as Blades stars fight EACH OTHER
WHEN team-mates turn on each other instead of the opposition, it does not say much for their chances of staging an unlikely escape from relegation.
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder called on his team to ‘swing some punches’ when he returned to the club last December and here Jack Robinson and Vini Souza took his instructions a little too literally.
Trailing to a header from Wolves forward Pablo Sarabia that proved the only goal of the game, Souza and Robinson called one another out before a restart in play, with Souza appearing to shove his team-mate in the face. Neither will face action from the club.
It was not on the scale of Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer’s punch-up while at Newcastle in 2005, nor the fisticuffs between Blackburn pair Graeme Le Saux and David Batty a decade earlier. But it illustrated the sense of hopelessness the Blades must feel as they continue an apparently inevitable journey back to the Championship. This result leaves them eight points from safety.
‘It is a passionate game,’ said Wilder. ‘We don’t want to see that every week but if it takes something like that to get them going, I’m happy. That happens at every club up and down the country three or four times a year. I can’t condone it and we have to be careful as we have a responsibility to young kids but that happens behind closed doors at every level, at Manchester City and at the bottom of League Two.
‘VAR spotted it, we move on pretty quickly. It won’t stew. The players were told their responsibilities at half-time and it was all smoothed over.’
Far more frustrating for Wilder was that Wolves got out of jail here with United unable to convert any of their chances, with Rhian Brewster and James McAtee the most culpable. ‘There is no problem with our character and personality,’ said Wilder. ‘We played well and in that situation you must come away with something.’
It meant Sarabia’s goal on the half-hour was decisive and Wolves are now eighth, smelling a chance of European football next season. Manager Gary O’Neil, however, was unimpressed with his side’s second-half display.
‘I hated it,’ he admitted. ‘That will be nowhere near good enough us to get into Europe. But I’m pleased with the win because if this season had gone another way, that could have been a six-pointer at the bottom of the table.’
As United pushed, Brewster’s effort was blocked by Craig Dawson and keeper Jose Sa kept out his follow-up. Then Jayden Bogle flicked on Ivo Grbic’s goal-kick and sent Brewster scurrying on goal, though Toti Gomes did well to put his opponent off balance. More slack defensive work from Wolves allowed McAtee a clear run at another hopeful ball over the top, with the home side again rescued by poor finishing.
Wolves showed Wilder’s men how to do it seconds later when Rayan Ait-Nouri cut in from the left and crossed for Sarabia, who drifted between the centre backs and planted a header beyond Grbic.
Soon afterwards, tempers boiled over in the United ranks. A red card for Souza or Robinson would have been extraordinary and though VAR ruled it out, the confrontation looked bad all round.
United kept wasting half-chances after the break before Sarabia passed up a clear goalscoring chance for the hosts with a commendable act of sportsmanship. With Souza down in the Wolves half, Grbic effectively stopped playing well outside his own box.
Sarabia took possession and could have driven for goal, only to backtrack and give back the ball.
It was not quite Paolo Di Canio for Sheffield Wednesday at Everton in 2000, but it was a noble gesture nonetheless and several opponents shook Sarabia’s hand.
‘I wouldn’t have felt comfortable if Pablo had gone on to score,’ conceded O’Neil. WOLVES (3-4-3): Sa 7; Kilman 5.5, Dawson 6.5, Toti 6; Semedo 5.5, Gomes 6.5, LEMINA 8, Ait-Nouri 6.5 (Doyle 77min); Sarabia 7 (Doherty 90), Hwang 6 (Bellegarde 85), Neto 6.5. Scorer: Sarabia 30. Booked: Semedo, Toti. Manager: Gary O’Neil 6. SHEFFIELD UNITED (5-1-2-2): Grbic 6; Bogle 6.5, Ahmedhodzic 7, Trusty 7.5, Robinson 6.5, Larouci 6.5 (Osborn 72, 6); Souza 6.5 (McBurnie 82); Norwood 6.5 (Davies 82), Hamer 6.5; Brewster 7 (Osula 82), McAtee 6.5. Booked: Ahmedhodzic. Manager: Chris Wilder 6. Referee: Darren Bond 6. Attendance: 30,789.