Unwanted record as Blades say sad farewell to Goodison Park
A ‘MARDY Yorkshireman’, in his own words, after his previous visit to Goodison Park, Chris Wilder’s demeanour did not change following his latest trip.
The landscape definitely had. Back in September 2019, Wilder’s Sheffield United side had taken to the Premier League like a duck to water following promotion. By the royal blue Mersey, the Blades won 2-0 to abruptly end Everton’s sixmatch home winning streak and move up to eighth. Heady days.
Not that Wilder was happy afterwards. He spoke about it being the worst his side had played all season, with it taking an ex-Evertonian in Phil Jagielka to point out the sense of achievement.
Despite not hitting their standards that day, United found a way to win with enough quality. Good sides do that.
On Saturday, a United side led by Wilder produced tons of effort – always a non-negotiable in his eyes – but lacked any polish. The story of the season? Most certainly, according to the Blades chief.
On the day, United’s five-man yellow defensive wall blocked the space well, barring a couple of occasions in the first half – including the game’s all-important moment – and a few times at the end as minds wandered in the heat.
Going forward, the visitors ran into roadblocks continually. Wrong options were taken, there was not enough care in thought and deed and invariably a blue shirt would stick out a leg or head or come away with the ball.
The decision-making was poor, more especially in the second half when Everton, comfortable with their lead and realising what they were up against, clocked off a bit. United mustered just one effort on target all game, with Andre Brooks testing Jordan Pickford ahead of the interval.
By the end, the Blades were out on their own with the highest ever total of goals conceded in a Premier League season. It’s now up to 101 and it also equals their club record for most goals conceded in a season, back in 1933-34.
There’s something about records with United and Goodison. On their previous visit, almost three years to the day, Daniel Jebbison had scored to become the youngest ever scorer on his first Premier League start.
It was an occasion when the
Blades, again relegated, could have also potentially equalled the record number of Premier League defeats in a season and were seeking to avoid a record-low competition total of goals in one campaign.
In the here and now, Wilder was more bothered about his side changing the record. It was the same old song. United lost for a sixth successive match. For Everton, there was the rarest of beasts. A final home game of the season when their topflight survival was not on the line. For the first time since 2019, those in blue enjoyed a post-match lap of appreciation with their families.
It’s been a season when Sean Dyche has regularly spoken about it being Everton ‘against the world’, given their much-publicised points deductions.
Amid such talk, his opposite number and friend in Wilder, would probably afford himself a wry smile. How he’d love such problems, given the playing options at Everton’s disposal, compared to his own.
As with United, there is off-thefield uncertainty at Everton. Like the Blades, they won’t have much spend this summer and players will go. It will be tough.
Everton’s cachet still means they will still be able to recruit a calibre of player far beyond United. And they remain in the place to be.
For 90-odd minutes at least on
Saturday, Evertonians and Unitedites did not stress about things as they enjoyed the sun.
The only goal came on 31 minutes when Dwight McNeil’s nicely weighted pass found ex-Blade Dominic Cavert-Lewin on the left. He glided past Wes Foderingham before his chip was nodded into the empty net by Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Earlier, the goalscorer had been denied by a fantastic point-blank save by the Blades keeper.
A kerfuffle between Calvert Lewin and Jack Robinson saw tempers briefly get heated in the first half – VAR had a look. Other than that, it was fairly sedate.
Everton: Pickford; Coleman, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Young; Gueye, Onana, Garner; McNeil (Gomes 69 (Warrington 93), Doucoure (Dobbin 69), Calvert-Lewin (Chermiti 79). Unused substitutes: Virginia, Keane, Danjuma, Beto, Godfrey.
Sheffield United: Foderingham; Bogle, Souza, Trusty, Robinson, Larouchi (Lowe 55); Hamer, Arblaster (Curtis 63), Brooks (Slimane 55); Archer (Brewster 80), Brereton-Diaz. Unused substitutes: Grbic, Norwood, McAtee, Osula, Sasnauskas.
Referee: S Attwell (Warwicks).