SHARP PROVES SO ROOTHLESS
Blades’ star marksman adds to Wayne’s misery
BILLY SHARP scored a lastminute penalty to rub salt into the wounds of 10-man Derby.
The Rams were on the brink of a battling point after playing with 10 men for more than half an hour following keeper Kelle Roos’ red card for fouling Sharp outside the box.
The Blades had poured forward without making the breakthrough only for Derby defender Curtis Davies to handle Conor Hourihane’s cross.
Sharp stepped up to take the penalty – after missing last week at Hull – and fired an unstoppable shot past Ryan Allsop.
Derby’s woeful luck continued deep into added-time when Tom Lawrence hit the post and saw the ball come straight out to a Blades player. It rounded off a torrid week for the Rams who went into administration on Wednesday, triggering a 12-point deduction which sent them bottom with minus two points.
They face a possible further nine-point penalty for breaching EFL financial regulations. Boss
Wayne Rooney (below) said: “It’s been a very tough week for the club – the players, the fans, the staff.
“The players are the ones who have to go out there and try and perform during this difficult period.
“The application they have shown all week has been first class.
“It’s easy to criticise football players for not caring, not being loyal.
“But it’s a good group of players. The game plan was to try and frustrate them and, in the last 20 minutes, try and nick a 1-0 win.
“I thought we were on course to do that. I felt we had the best chances throughout the game and the red card changed things.”
The Blades are unbeaten in five games, although manager Slavisa Jokanovic was not overly impressed with his side’s display, saying: “We are in some kind of the process.
“It was a flat game without enough energy and we pushed after the sending-off and added more people in the box.
“We didn’t play well but we had enough to get three points.”
United carved the first opening when Sharp controlled George Baldock’s high ball but fired a rising shot wide with only the keeper to beat.
Phil Jagielka – making his 700th club appearance – got a rousing reception from the home fans after returning to the club at which he had two stints.
He headed Louie Sibley’s corner against the bar with keeper Robin Olsen blocking Lawrence’s follow-up.
Sam Baldock – the older brother of the two on the pitch – fired past the post and Olsen pushed away Graeme Shinnie’s fierce drive.
Sharp’s dinked ball from the left of the area found Iliman Ndiaye in front of goal but his header came back off team-mate Ben Osborn who then poked wide.
Derby’s task became greater when Roos charged out of his goal and brought down Sharp who had pushed the ball past him.
Morgan Gibbs-white flashed an effort just wide and Ndiaye should have made the breakthrough with a completely free header but put it wide.
SHEFFIELD UNITED: Olsen 7; Baldock 8, Egan 7, Davies 7, Norrington-davies 7 (Stevens 71, 6); Norwood 7 (Mcburnie 66, 6) Fleck 7; Ndiaye 7 (Hourihane 81), Gibbswhite 7, Osborn 7; Sharp 8.
Unused Subs: Basham, Brewster, Foderingham, Guedioura
DERBY COUNTY: Roos 5; Byrne 7, Jagielka 7, Davies 6, Buchanan 6; Bird 7, Shinnie 7; Sibley 7 (Allsop 58, 6), Morrison 6 (Knight 59, 6) Lawrence 7; S Baldock 6 (Jozwiak 65, 6).
Unused Subs: Forsyth, Stearman, Stretton, Watson
MAN OF THE MATCH: Billy Sharp. Scored a nerveless winning penalty and worked tirelessly using all his experience and guile.
REFEREE: David Webb 7.