Wilder left cursing ill fortune as Arblaster’s own goal opens the door for Brentford victory
CHRIS Wilder felt luck was against Sheffield United again after they were shoved another step closer to the Championship by a 2-0 defeat at Brentford.
Mikkel Damsgaard’s cross was turned into his own net by teenager Oliver Arblaster for the game’s crucial opening goal.
Substitute Frank Onyeka slid in a second with time ticking down on both the match and the Blades’ stay in the Premier League.
Another defeat – their 22nd of the season – leaves them 10 points adrift of safety with only six games remaining.
To rub salt in the wounds from a chastening campaign, United found out last week that a two-point deduction awaits them upon their now almost-inevitable drop into the Championship.
“I don’t think there was a lot in the game tactically, our shape was good out of possession,” said Wilder.
“For clubs in our position, to get to 0-0 at half-time is an achievement and it wasn’t a backs-to-wall first half. My disappointment is we tried to score with our first attack and if we’d got the first goal, it would have been a different game.
“We felt we could make it a nervous afternoon for Brentford. You could sense the relief from them.
“The first goal is a counter-attack, Ollie gets back into position, a wicked deflection and it goes flying in. Yet again it’s something that goes against us.”
United’s only real hope of a second away win of the season was by getting Ben Brereton Diaz and Ollie McBurnie up the pitch. They managed it in the opening stages when Brereton Diaz raced through but his weak, left-footed finish was blocked by Bees goalkeeper Mark Flekken.
Brereton Diaz had a better chance when he cut inside Vitaly Janelt onto his favoured right foot, but his attempted curler flew too high.
Other than that Brentford were utterly dominant.
But, with Ivan Toney on the bench for the second match running, they were lacking a cutting edge in front of goal.
Sergio Reguilon headed an early Mads Roerslev cross over and Yanelt sidefooted the ball straight into the arms of Grbic.
Brentford’s best chance of the first half arrived nine minutes before the break and it was all of United’s making. Auston Trusty’s ball out from the back was straight to Bryan Mbeumo, who sent Neal Maupay through on goal. But the French striker was stretching as he prodded the ball agonisingly wide of the post.
Brentford had the ball in the net early in the second half but Mathias Jorgensen was clearly offside when he poked Mathias Jensen’s free-kick in. But they made the breakthrough just after the hour mark when Mbeumo fed Mikkel Damsgaard down the right. He attempted a low cross towards Maupay, only for the unfortunate Arblaster to stick out a leg and turn the ball into his own net.
Moments later, Mbeumo’s freekick across the edge of the penalty area was volleyed home first time by Damsgaard, only for a VAR check to spot a foul on McBurnie by Nathan Collins. In stoppage time, midfielder Onyeka slid the ball home and wrap up a first win in 10 for the Bees. Brentford: Flekken, Roerslev, Jorgensen, Collins, Reguilon, Damsgaard (Yarmolyuk 79), Janelt, Jensen (Onyeka 90), Mbeumo (Schade 90), Maupay (Lewis-Potter 79), Wissa (Pinnock 90). Unused substitutes: Ghoddos, Toney, Strakosha, Baptiste.
Sheffield United: Grbic, Holgate (Ben Slimane 90), Ahmedhodzic, Trusty, Bogle (Archer 76), Hamer, Arblaster, Osborn, Larouci (McAtee 57), Brereton, McBurnie. Unused substitutes: Norwood, Foderingham, Vinicius Souza, Curtis, Osula, Brooks.
Referee: S Barrott (West Yorkshire).