Harvey has magic touch
HARVEY BARNES continued to weave his magic for West Brom as the on-loan Leicester winger showed amazing piece of skill to set up Kieran Gibbs’ winner at Bramall Lane.
His clever back-heel, after an equally superb piece of play from Matt Phillips, allowed the former Arsenal full-back to drive in a 76th minute decider in a tense promotion battle.
The Baggies recorded a third straight away victory for the first time in 10 years and leapfrogged their opponents to move up to third.
Earlier Gareth Barry, whose goals come along less often than Christmas these days, snatched the vital equaliser for the Baggies that cancelled out David McGoldrick’s early strike.
Barry struck four minutes before the break, his first goal since last December and just his second in 27 months, after a rare mistake from Sheffield United playmaker Ollie Norwood.
His wayward pass was intercepted by Gibbs, who played in Barnes down the left wing, and after his precise pull-back from the byline was missed by two defenders, Barry showed all his Premier League know-how to convert clinically from 15 yards.
It was a sickening blow for the Blades who had enjoyed the better of an entertaining first half and taken the lead after 12 minutes.
Chris Basham’s tackle ended an Albion attack, with Norwood finding Mark Duffy whose sliderule pass allowed McGoldrick to hold off Craig Dawson and drive the ball home.
Just before the equaliser, the excellent Duffy also teed up team-mate Jack O’Connell’s cross-shot attempt that looked set to be turned in at the far post by Billy Sharp until it took a deflection.
United then felt they should have had a penalty when Ahmed Hegazi elbowed Sharp.
After conceding the equaliser, the Blades might have trailed before the interval had Dean Henderson not dealt well with Phillips’ long blast. And just after the hour another devastating Baggies attack saw Barnes denied by the keeper.
Sharp had the Blades’ best chance late on but his hurried shot flew high and wide.
SHEFFIELD UTD (3–4-1-2): Henderson; Basham, Egan, O’Connell; Baldock, Norwood, Fleck (Coutts 58), Stevens (Johnson 89); Duffy (Washington 76); McGoldrick, Sharp. Booked: Egan. Goal: McGoldrick 12 WEST BROM (4-1-2-3): Johnstone; Adarabioyo, Dawson, Hegazi, Gibbs; Barry; Livermore, Phillips; Gayle, Rodriguez Barnes (Brunt 90). Goals: Barry 41, Gibbs 76. Referee: J Simpson (Lancs).