Egan adds cutting edge for the Blades
CHRIS WILDER’S biggest headache just now tends to be the morning after matches. He celebrated last week’s home win over Spurs by drinking red wine until half past four in the morning. And a last-gasp winner here may have put him in the mood for another late night. With just 23 seconds left of a drab affair, John Egan rose to head in from a corner, sending the Blades to within a point of Wolves and just four off a Champions League berth. ‘I celebrated that like a fan and manager,’ said Wilder after his 93rd-minute roar filled an empty Bramall Lane. ‘That was a proper Sheffield United performance. I couldn’t be more proud of them.’ Egan rose to connect with Ollie Norwood’s delivery and net for the second time in four days after his point-saving strike at Burnley. The defeat is not terminal for Wolves but two losses on the spin has badly halted momentum. ‘It has been a tough period and we have to react,’ said boss Nuno Espirito Santo. Both teams, though, remain in the hunt for European football next season and, given they last met here in the Championship just three years ago, that is to the credit of Wilder and Nuno. The football did little to warm the body on a chilly night. Wolves were true to their plan of making the first half of matches entirely forgettable. This was the 29th time in 34 outings they have failed to score before the interval. They came closet before the break when Ruben Neves hit the bar with a 25-yard free-kick. The hosts’ best chance saw Oli McBurnie head into the palms of Rui Patricio. The keeper remained unmoved for much of the second half until Ben Osborn’s shot hit the base of the post in stoppage-time. That led to the corner from which Egan headed the winner. It was the first effort on target in the second half. Not that Wilder will care about that when he uncorks the red.