BILLY BAGS A DOUBLE TON
Sharp reminder of huge task facing Heckingbottom
BILLY Sharp bagged his 200th league goal as Paul Heckingbottom’s Leeds reign got off to a bleak start at Bramall Lane.
Sharp, who spent the 2014-15 season at Elland Road, lashed home a spectacular volley after just 110 seconds to bring up his double century.
Pierre-Michel Lasogga levelled things up two minutes into the second half, but Eunan O’Kane’s careless hack at John Fleck saw Sharp dispatch goal No.201 from the penalty spot.
Having vowed to improve discipline after a run of four red cards in five games blighted the final weeks of predecessor Thomas Christiansen, Heckingbottom must be furious at such a lapse from his skipper.
Of more concern, however, will be a lacklustre first-half performance that carried echoes of recent collapses against Millwall and Cardiff – and a defeat that extends the Whites’ winless streak to eight games.
“As games run out, you get further and further away,” admitted the 40-year-old, who also lost Kemar Roofe to concussion in the first half. “That’s fact, and there’s no getting away from it.
“But the beauty of it is, we now play all of the teams above us. People have been saying what a tough run of games we’ve got, but you can flip that. If we win, we’re right back up there.”
And doing that, says Heckingbottom, will mean taking a leaf out of United’s book. For 20 minutes after half-time, inspired by the introduction of Pablo Hernandez, Leeds were on top.
Either side of that purple patch they were pinned back by a home side more adventurous and faster to look forward.
“It was pretty simple to see what the difference was,” added Heckingbottom. “Sheffield United were playing forwards all of the time, creating pressure. In our half, we were playing backwards and inviting pressure.
“I asked the players, ‘What was the difference in the second half ?’ They said, ‘We played on the front foot, we were more positive, we had more energy’.
“And that’s it. That’s the starting point. That’s what wins you games and that’s now got to be the bare minimum every week.”
While Leeds have made a nasty habit of starting like a bedbound teenager, no side in the Championship has scored more goals in the first five minutes than United. None was better than this.
Mark Duffy – outstanding on his recall to the side – scooped a cross to the penalty spot. Sharp, running backwards, whipped round like his hips were on springs, lancing an unstoppable volley into the top corner.
Moments later, the Blades skipper spooned a free header over the bar, then saw Leon Clarke miscue his enticing square ball. “I was frustrated we didn’t kill the game when we were on top,” said United boss Chris Wilder.
His mood won’t have improved when Jack O’Connell ran into trouble on the edge of his own box two minutes after half-time. Hernandez pinched the ball, then crossed for Lasogga to deftly nod a surprise leveller into the bottom corner. The Spaniard then fired narrowly over.
The remainder was cagey, a draw the most likely result. But when a crafty free-kick routine saw Fleck burst into the box, O’Kane dived in.
Even if the United midfielder made the most if the contact, it was a silly challenge to make. Sharp, out of favour since the turn of the year, made no mistake for his ninth of the season.
“When we came off the coach last week, I told Billy, ‘Get ready, you’ll be playing next week’,” said Wilder, whose side remain seventh. “He’s trained outstandingly well and he’s shown his true colours in the time he hasn’t been playing. His attitude has been brilliant.”