LEE’S IN-FORM TYKES TAKE A REAL BASHING

WELL, it had to end sometime. Lee Johnson has done everything but walk on water since swapping Oldham for Barnsley in February.

Seven games ago, the Tykes were a stagnant, underperforming outfit in danger of slipping into a second successive relegation battle.

Four wins and three draws later, they kicked off at Oakwell aiming to cement a place in the top six and move to within two points of their Yorkshire rivals. In the end, they fell a long way short, outfoxed by a side more dynamic, more creative and more clinical.

The Blades have rarely cut loose this term, their points eked out rather than plundered.

But this was a thoroughly dominant display - inspired by the unstoppable Chris Basham - that never looked in doubt from the moment Steven Davies broke the deadlock. For United, this should seal a top-six place. For Barnsley, it was an anti-climax but Johnson’s achievements should not be sullied by one bad day at the office.