Pukki hits double but fails to blunt Blades in thriller
PAUL HECKINGBOTTOM pointed to his team’s intensity and bravery after Sheffield United roared back to wipe out a twogoal deficit at a raucous Bramall Lane.
Norwich cut through the Blades at will in the first half with Teemu Pukki twice taking advantage of uncertainty at the back.
Iliman Ndiaye came on for the second half and was key as the Blades were transformed with Ben Osborn pulling one back before sub Oli McBurnie hauled them level.
Norwich had a golden chance to take all three points with a late penalty only for Adam Davies to keep out Pukki’s spot-kick.
The Blades are now fourth with three points from the last six games.
Heckingbottom said of the Blades’ comeback: “We expected nothing different.
“Me and Macca (Stuart McCall) were in there at half-time – I thought we’d win the game, I expected us to win the game.
“There wasn’t too much difference between the first and second half.
“We made an error with the first goal, the second should be dealt with.
“We defended and attacked in exactly the same way.
“Second half just had much more aggression.”
He added: “Tactics, football, stats, people get bogged down with it.
“Emotion, feeling, intensity, that’s what wins matches and that was the difference second half.”
Norwich went ahead when Davies kicked his clearance straight at Pukki with the ball rebounding into the empty net.
The Finn struck again when he easily held off Anel Ahmedhodzic and drilled home across the keeper. Osborn reduced the deficit with a first-time shot across Angus Gunn from Billy Sharp’s lay-off and the Blades drew level when McBurnie poked home
John Egan’s knockdown.
But it was Egan who gave away the penalty when he stuck out a leg and Liam Gibbs went over.
There was redemption for Davies though as he dived low to his left to push away Pukki’s effort before McBurnie almost won it in added time but his downward header hit Gunn’s legs.
It extended the Canaries’ winless run to five games during which they have taken two points and lie sixth.
Manager Dean Smith was unhappy with some officiating, feeling his side should have had a penalty at 2-0 for what he claimed was a foul on Josh Sargent by George Baldock.
He said: “The last 20 minutes we allowed the crowd to get involved in the game by giving some silly fouls away and getting involved in their players when we didn’t need to. I thought that lifted the crowd.”
SHEFF UTD: Davies 7; Ahmedhodzic 6, Egan 6, Basham 6; Baldock 6, Norwood 7, Fleck 6 (Doyle (58) 7), Osborn 7; McAtee 6 (Ndiaye (46) 7); Brewster 6, (McBurnie (64) 7),
Sharp 7 (Khadra (80) 6)
NORWICH: Gunn 7; Aarons 7, Hanley 7, Gibson 6, Giannoulis 6 (Springett (71) 6); Ramsey 6 (Gibbs (75) 6), Hayden 7 (Hernandez (75) 6), Nunez 6 (Sinani (90) 5); Sargent 7, Pukki 7, Cantwell 7 STAR MAN: Teemu Pukki – Missed a penalty but scored two clinical goals and completely unsettled the Blades defence in the first half.
REF: Josh Smith 6