SHARP-SHOT BILLY SIMPLY THE BEST!
BILLY Sharp became the record goalscorer in the history of the Championship as his second-half finish helped Sheffield United to victory at Peterborough.
The veteran striker’s 122nd goal in the second tier of English football saw him overtake David Nugent’s total – since the league was rebranded in 2004 – and kept the Blades in the hunt for a playoff spot.
It was a typical poacher’s goal for the visitors’ skipper as he swooped on a loose ball in the penalty area to earn his side a deserved victory and keep their opponents in the relegation places after a largely one-sided encounter.
United boss Paul Heckingbottom heaped praise on Sharp, saying: “It was a really strong performance and well deserved.
“We had 15-20 shots and we just needed that little bit of composure in and around the box and that’s what Billy gave us when the ball dropped to him.
“It’s about his hunger. He trains hard, looks after himself, responds to getting pushed and has a hunger to score goals. That record will mean a hell of a lot to him.
“He is trying to squeeze every little bit out of his legs and body for as long as he possibly can to score goals in what is a really difficult league.”
The first 40 minutes were near complete domination from the Blades who kept up the pressure on Steven Benda’s goal.
The visitors did lose Rhian Brewster early on, with the forward hobbling off after a dangerous attacking cross. A minute later his replacement David McGoldrick should have opened the scoring after cutting in from the right, only to fire wide.
A raking ball from Oliver Norwood, again down the right side, then set Jayden Bogle in on goal, but his shot across the goal was saved.
Peterborough were looking for revenge for the 6-2 drubbing they suffered in the reverse fixture, and they handed a debut to central midfielder Jeando Fuchs who signed from Dundee United. Fuchs replaced Oliver Norburn, with the captain and forward Siriki Dembele both missing, with speculation mounting that they could leave before the end of the transfer window.
United were so dominant that it came as no surprise when Sharp fired in on 54 minutes, swooping on a loose ball after home defender Nathan Thompson had miscontrolled a Norburn ball fired into the area.
Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson brought on Morton and Joe Ward, but the next chance fell to Sharp after Jorge Grant lost the ball. However, the striker was denied by a good save from Benda.
The miss, though, did not prove costly for the Blades as in the 81st minute Chris Basham headed a corner back across goal, with the ball hitting Morton before nestling in the net.
Boss Ferguson said: “It was a game that was always going to be difficult for us. But we’ve got to find a way of stopping these sloppy goals – they’re so avoidable.
“We can’t make mistakes to give Billy Sharp a goal like that.”