Blades earn unwanted record as Wilder left to rue missed chances
Sheffield United 1 Nottingham Forest 3
CALLUM Hudson-Odoi fired Nottingham Forest to a vital 3-1 victory in their survival battle as Sheffield United became the first Premier League team to concede 100 goals in a 38-game season.
Hudson-Odoi produced two picture-book goals to help Forest overcome a dreadful start at Bramall Lane and register a first away win since Boxing Day.
The already-relegated Blades went ahead through Ben Brereton Diaz’s penalty before Hudson-Odoi’s double and Ryan Yates’ controversial goal saw Forest hit back to move three points clear of 18th-placed Luton with two games left.
Their situation at the foot of the table could look even rosier if an appeal against a four-point deduction for breaking financial rules is successful, with news expected this week.
If they were to get just one point back, that would effectively relegate Burnley due to Forest’s superior goal difference.
The Blades’ campaign hit a new low as Hudson-Odoi’s second was the 100th goal they have conceded, making them the first Premier League team to rack up a century in a 38-game season, with Swindon doing it in 1993-94 over 42 games.
But it was their deficiencies in the other penalty area against Forest which annoyed boss Chris Wilder.
“We get the ball to the top of the pitch but you’ve got to put your chances away and we’ve had 17 opportunities – not half-chances, some incredibly proper chances – and goals change the feel of the game,” he said. “It’s happened for the last three weeks now.
“We created chances but there’s no point coming in at half-time and saying ‘well played’ when we should be 4-0 up,” added Wilder, who saw skipper Anel Ahmedhodzic sent off late on.
Sheffield United: Foderingham, Ahmedhodzic, Trusty, Robinson, Bogle, Hamer, Arblaster, Brooks (McAtee 66), Osborn, Archer (Vinicius Souza 74), Brereton. Unused substitutes: Brewster, Grbic, Norwood, Ben Slimane, Larouci, Holgate, Osula. Nottingham Forest: Sels, Montiel (Toffolo 83), Boly, Murillo, Aina, Yates, Danilo, Elanga (Niakhate 67), Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi (Dominguez 90), Wood (Awoniyi 90). Unused substitutes: Turner, Sangare, Kouyate, Reyna, Origi.
Referee: C Kavanagh (Lancashire).