Iheanacho hat-trick piles on the misery for Blades
Even in this most wretched of seasons, this has been an especially torrid weekend for Sheffield United. A day after losing manager Chris Wilder, they suffered the heaviest defeat of the campaign to a Leicester City team who barely needed to get out of third gear. Had Leicester scored eight, United would have had scant cause for complaint.
“It was tough to watch and be involved in,” lamented United caretaker manager Paul Heckingbottom.
“The week has taken its toll. It was an emotional dressing room at the end. Chris was the leader and it’s the end of all that. There was anger at the performance.
“I feel a big responsibility to the players because I know what they’re going through, but they have to pick themselves up. The next manager will be watching.”
United were without Wilder for the first time since they lost to Scunthorpe United in League One, in 2016 and in the wake of his bungled departure, under-23 coach Heckingbottom was asked to take over on Saturday evening.
His troubled spells at the helm of Barnsley, Leeds United and Hibernian hardly inspire confidence, while new assistant Jason Tindall was recruited before Heckingbottom and is fresh from dismissal at Bournemouth. Wilder’s sidekick, Alan Knill, remains for now. “I’ve spoken to Chris,” Heckingbottom said. “He wants everyone to do well. It’s his club and he wants us to look after it.”
United stuck to Wilder’s formation, with a slight juggling of personnel – Chris Basham returned from injury, while Oliver Burke and Billy Sharp defenestrated Ollie Mcburnie and that misguided symbol of United’s close-season hubris, Rhian Brewster, but all to no avail. They look to have given up.
For Leicester, the three points put them five ahead of fourth-placed Chelsea.
Jamie Vardy was full of running, Youri Tielemans was full of guile and hat-trick scorer Kelechi Iheanacho now looks every inch a bona
fide Premier League player. “I really enjoyed watching us,” purred Brendan Rodgers, the Leicester manager. “Our defending was aggressive, our creativity and passing were good and we created opportunities to score even more.
“It took a little bit of time, but once we got the breakthrough we were outstanding with the speed of our game.”
A terrific 13th-minute fingertip save from Aaron Ramsdale denied Ayoze Perez, when he pushed his header on to a post following Timothy Castagne’s cute cross.
But United’s many problems will not evaporate with Wilder’s departure. Their lack of midfield quality meant no protection for the defence and no service for the strikers.
Leicester broke through after 39 minutes in when Tielemans’s gorgeous ball found the overlapping Vardy, who shrugged off Basham’s feeble challenge and crossed low. Iheanacho, unmarked at the back post, tapped in his third goal in three games.
Rodgers introduced the pacy Marc Albrighton at half-time and the substitute was soon crossing for Iheanacho, who rolled the ball into Vardy’s path. The strike, from 10 yards, was fierce but Basham headed off the line.
The respite was fleeting; when a United free-kick was floated into the penalty area, Leicester’s Wesley Fofana cleared, but Albrighton muscled George Baldock off the ball, hurtled forwards and found Ayoze Perez, who curled in his first league goal since December’s reverse fixture.
United then collapsed. Leicester’s third arrived when another magnificent Tielemans pass found Vardy, whose first-time low cross was met by Iheanacho, who stroked the ball home, with another first-time finish.
An emotional Iheanacho soon had his hat-trick when he collected Ndidi’s pass. United backed off and Iheanacho fired home from 20 yards.
Two minutes later it was five when Vardy crossed low and defender Ethan Ampadu inadvertently slotted past Ramsdale.
For Leicester, it may not get better or easier, but this is surely Sheffield United’s nadir.