Jose pounces to seal doom for the Blades
IT’S that time of year when fans dust off their calculators to work out mathematical possibilities, but Sheffield United’s fortunes have been an easy sum to work out all season.
Last night’s defeat finally mathematically confirmed the Blades’ relegation, a rather quiet exit from the top flight in an eerie empty stadium. Willian Jose’s first Wolves goal was all that settled the sides as United went down with a whimper.
It means Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have won back-to-back games for just the third time this season. It’s been a poor campaign for them too but it seems to be ending on a positive note.
On this day last year these two were separated on goal difference only in sixth and seventh in the table, both aiming for Europe.
And while it has been an underwhelming season for an injury-hit Wolves, United’s campaign has been nothing short of disastrous.
Instead of dreaming about away days and city breaks around the continent, Blades fans will have to get ready for trips across Yorkshire to the rainy lands of Huddersfield and Barnsley.
It’s not a surprise, of course. They will have known since before Christmas that relegation loomed, despite a shock scalp at Old Trafford in January.
‘ Relegation has been a noose around everyone’s neck for a long time,’ their caretaker boss Paul Heckingbottom told Sky Sports before the match. True.
When he took over, the Blades bus was hurtling towards a cliff edge, and all he has done is accelerated towards the drop.
Maybe he thinks his side will play better now they have a big R next to their name in the standings. It doesn’t look likely, though they did start brightly here.
Heckingbottom and lieutenant Jason Tindall barked orders from the side of the pitch, referring to opposition players by their shirt number in a very Sunday League manner.
It was Wolves’ Willy Boly who came the closest early on. The defender tried a backheel flick from a corner, only for Oliver Norwood to head clear on the line after the cheeky effort had beaten Aaron Ramsdale. Wolves continued to threaten but lacked end product, a theme of their season. With Raul Jimenez having missed the majority of the campaign with a skull fracture, Pedro Neto has been the creator-in-chief in front of goal. But now the Portuguese forward is also on the sidelines.
Yet Nuno’s side still have Adama Traore and Daniel Podence, two dazzling talents who on their day are capable of winning matches single-handedly. Both had firsthalf chances but were let down by tame shots.
Blades had the feel of a team playing a five-a-side match on a full- sized pitch. Despite some positive counter-attacks, actually getting to the goal and mustering a chance felt improbable. It made for a rather drab affair, not a classic Saturday night watch.
Rhian Brewster carved out his side’s best chance of the match on 57 minutes when he broke clear on the right and pulled back to onrushing wing-back Enda Stevens who hit his shot hard and firm but straight at Rui Patricio.
The ball was down the other end in a flash, though, with the rapid Traore who dashed past Kean Bryan’s challenge and put it on a plate for Jose, who scored his first Wolves goal. The 29- year- old joined the club in January with a prolific scoring record at Real Sociedad but he has struggled to break his Wolves duck, despite his overall play being promising.
It was an easy finish here but he was in the right place at the right time to get on the end of Traore’s cross.
The general verdict on Traore is that he is an outrageous talent who flatters to deceive in front of goal but, with his assist here and a late winner at Fulham last week, he is finishing the season on a high.
George Baldock unleashed a venomous strike on 69 minutes as Heckingbottom’s men looked to equalise, but Patricio was on form to deny him.
Blades continued to threaten but Wolves stayed tight, with Nuno screaming ‘ l ads, manage t he f****** game’. Indeed, United were the better team last night but were toothless where it mattered most. It is why they are destined for the Championship.