Sutton blasts Blades over Baldock blow
CHRIS SUTTON has joined former strike partner Alan Shearer in condemning the treatment of George Baldock after the Sheffield United player took a bang to the head during this defeat by Leeds. Baldock initially continued after being checked but came off five minutes later feeling groggy. Shearer was among those who criticised Baldock’s brief reappearance after his collision with Tyler Roberts. And Sutton told Sportsmail: ‘It would be laughable if it wasn’t so sad, the sight of a player being given the old “follow my finger” treatment on the pitch and deemed fit to continue. ‘Ten minutes later, he’s off with signs of concussion. When will football learn? This extra permanent concussion substitute isn’t convincing any clubs to take their players off immediately. Instead they let them play on, when they’re more at risk of an even worse injury. That’s what happened with George Baldock.’ Sutton has spearheaded Sportsmail’s campaign for football to do more to tackle dementia, which includes the proper treatment of head injuries during matches. ‘We need to see footballers taken off the pitch and properly assessed before they are allowed to play on,’ Sutton added. ‘That’s where temporary concussion substitutes come in.’ Baldock will be assessed this week to see if he can face Arsenal on Sunday but Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom insisted protocols had been followed and once the player reported blurred vision, he was replaced. Leeds were dominant in a derby that emphasised the gap between these Yorkshire rivals. Marcelo Bielsa’s side have passed the 40-point mark with eight games to go — a fine achievement for a promoted team. Brazilian winger Raphinha set up Jack Harrison’s opener after 12 minutes and Phil Jagielka turned Harrison’s cross into his own net early in the second half for the winner. In between, Sheffield United levelled through Ben Osborn, their only shot on target. LEEDS UNITED (4-1-4-1): Meslier 6; Ayling 7, Llorente 7, Cooper 6.5, Alioski 7; Phillips 8; RAPHINHA 8.5, Dallas 7 (Koch 90min), Roberts 6.5 (Klich 81), Harrison 7; Bamford 6 (Rodrigo 65, 6). Subs not used: Casilla, Poveda-Campo, Costa, Hernandez, Struijk, Shackleton. Scorers: Harrison 12, Jagielka 49 (og). Booked: Rodrigo. Manager: Marcelo Bielsa 7 SHEFFIELD UNITED (3-5-2): Ramsdale 7.5: Bogle 6 (Brewster 73, 6), Jagielka 5.5, Stevens 6; Baldock 5.5 (Ampadu 45, 6), Lundstram 6, Norwood 6 Burke 65, 6), Fleck 6.5, Osborn 7; McBurnie 6 (Egan 77), McGoldrick 6.5. Subs not used: Foderingham, Mousset, Lowe, Bryan, Ndiaye. Scorer: Osborn 45. Booked: Lundstram, McGoldrick. Manager: Paul Heckingbottom 6. Referee: Graham Scott 6.
LEEDS have reported losses of M
£64.6million for last season, when they won promotion to the Premier League. The club spent £46m on players and made a £2.5m insurance claim for loss of profits due to Covid.