Post by deadbat on Apr 7, 2023 22:22:50 GMT
The Blades had another excellent day as United saw off the bottom side Wigan at the Lane and nearest rivals Luton and Middlesborough both dropped points. Burnley are now promoted but United now have a fantastic chance of joining them back in the Premier League after they won their third league game on the bounce. Iliman Ndiaye’s early goal after good work from James McAtee was all they needed to get the crucial three points. Sharp (x2) and Ndiaye missed big chances to extend the lead but Foderingham was only troubled once as the Blades saw out the game rather comfortably to take the deserved victory.
Heckingbottom made changes to his starting line up with Sharp brought in for McBurnie with one eye on the busy fixture schedule but Lowe was ruled out with illness so Bogle came in and Baldock switched to left wing back.
United were turned around to kick towards the Kop but started well on top. A well worked move saw Doyle fire over and Ndiaye then used his quick feet to create an opening that saw Wigan have to make a last-ditch interception. However, it did not take long for the Blades to lead. Only 8 minutes had been played when McAtee ran down the left-hand side and got away from two players and drove across the box and NDIAYE got in front of his man to steer home from close range.
United were in buoyant mood and were going for the jugular and nearly got a second. More good football saw Doyle’s diagonal ball find Baldock who sent the cross in and Sharp turned the ball towards goal but Amos made a superb save from point blank range. Ndiaye and McAtee were both running at the Wigan defence and the latter was denied by a superb tackle from Darikwa before the former continued to trick and tease his opponents with some sublime pieces of skill.
The home side were dominating possession and continued to move it around at a good tempo. Berge was involved in some of the build up but Doyle at the fulcrum was dictating play and allowing those in front to run at the defenders. The Blades should have scored a second after McAtee played in Ndiaye and he ran at the defence, beating one man and sitting the keeper down before his effort was cleared off the line by McClean. It was a fantastic chance to make it two and the striker was clearly disappointed not to finish after his excellent work to set up the chance.
Wigan did have a spell of play and one ball went across the box but Foderingham had been largely unemployed and Tiehi had to halt Ndiaye by illegal means and got a yellow card. United went in with a narrow lead and maybe upset they had not scored more goals.
Bennett came on for Rekik in a change at the start of the second half for the Latics. However, the one-way traffic continued and Sharp nearly scored again as Ahmedhodzic marauded down the right to send a cross over and the veteran headed down and the ball bounced up but the keeper Amos tipped over again. McAtee then curled a shot wide after more good work McAtee before Wigan finally had a spell with two efforts at goal; one blocked and then a cross was headed goalwards from Aasgaard but Foderingham leapt high to tip over.
Sharp and McAtee came off for McBurnie and Norwood on 66 minutes for the home side whilst Naylor and Magennis came on for Tiehi and Fletcher. Soon after Keane replaced Darikwi as Wigan tried to ger more bodies forward.
Egan had a header over at a corner whilst Wigan sub Magennis did likewise at the other end. United continued to control the ball and dominate possession but it still felt nervy with it only being 1-0. Berge drove forward and fired over before Fleck came on for the excellent Doyle. The sub helped keep the ball and then ran into the box and seemed to have his shirt pulled but nothing was given despite the appeals. Fleck was then booked for pulling his man ironically not long after!
Nyambe replaced Aasgaard just before the 90 minutes were up and 3 minutes additional time were added on by referee Davies. Ahmedhodzic was booked for timewasting but United were able to see things out without any scares and celebrated another vital step towards going where they want to at the season end.
United – I thought we played quite well today and controlled the contest. We only won 1-0 but, on another day, it could have been 3 or 4 really. Sharp misses two and Ndiaye has one off the line. We had numerous other chances and maybe the final ball or moment just let us down but overall, we played at a good tempo and dominated the possession and midfield. We scored early and this settled us down but we could never quite get that second goal and whilst it is only 1-0, there is always that worry of course they might nick a goal. They only had the one chance when we had a few minutes where we gave it away and got a bit sloppy but after that we got back control and could have gone on and scored another. In the end we just did what we had to do with no chances taken and did not need to gamble. Wigan never really looked like getting back into it for the final stages of the game and we just got it over the line. We deserved the win and in the end was all about the three points but the performance was fine too. We will certainly take another four games like that at home if we have the same results.
We managed to rest McBurnie (and Lowe – although he was ill) and Norwood still will have some energy you hope for the coming games too. Sharp will be disappointed not to score – he normally does v Wigan but Ndiaye was superb and McAtee showed flashes and was involved in key moments. I thought Berge was ok and Doyle behind was very good again and seems to be growing with every game as he takes on more responsibility. The defence was ok although Bogle will have better days and needs to do more when he gets game time. Egan had a few moments of uncertainty but Robinson was solid and Anel seems to be back to his best too. Baldock did what he had to in an unfamiliar left sided role. The subs did what they had to in order to help see it out.
Of course, the other results were great. Luton failed to win and Boro lost. We now have an 8 pt gap (more like 9 with the GD on Luton) and a game in hand. I expect Luton to beat Blackpool and cut it to 5 and it will be tricky at Turf Moor but do not see why we cannot go there and get something although Kompany clearly is still irked by the hammering at the Lane and mentioned it again post-game tonight. Even if we lose and it is 5 points, we then have two home games in a week to come and hope we can pick up more points. If we go into the semi final and have a 5- or 6-point gap and the other teams only have 3 left (we would have 4) then that should be enough. Weirdly Luton are not the threat seemingly as Boro have hit bad form at the worst time. For United we need to go to Burnley and see it as a bit of a free hit but then take care of business in the two games at the Lane. Be great if we could go into the semi and be nearly up. It is not over yet but the last two sets of games have seen us take a big step and we know we do have margin for error whilst the others do not.
Ratings:
Foderingham 7/10 – Solid with little to do. Only had that one save to make I think all game. One cross went over driven across first half but after that had nothing to do. After the break made the one flick away from the header which he had to be alert to but then was not tested again.
Bogle 6/10 – Was taken out of the team a few weeks ago after some poor performances. Got back in today but he was not great I did not feel. Defensively he was ok and no major mistakes but he was careless with the ball and did not really test his man the other way. It’s been a while since I recall him beating his man or getting down the line. He has not been the bundle of energy and the attacking threat we have seen before and needs to improve if he gets another chance.
Baldock 6.5/10 – Not on his normal side but full of normal tackling and harrying and popped up in a few areas. He was fine in terms of the defensive stuff and did get into some ok areas going forward but not sure many chances came from his play further up. He showed though that he can do a job for the side.
Robinson 7/10 – He was his normal committed self and used the ball quite well when he came out with it. Some nifty step overs too! He sometimes takes chances and you have your heart in your mouth but we have seen a lot less mistakes from here this season overall.
Ahmedhodzic 7.5/10 – He has been getting back to his form of earlier in the season and showed a bit of everything today. Some good runs forward and breaks and he read the game well and made some good interceptions too. Only knock is another silly booking (has 12 now and 3 more and he gets a 3-match ban so hopefully he can avoid this but there are still 7 games to go).
Egan 6.5/10 – Thought he was largely untroubled much of the game but then second half he was a bit sloppy and he also lost a few headers and switched off for a period – about the time when they had the couple of attacks which culminated with the header at Foderingham (that was his poor ball in the build up when he kicked it straight to their man on the edge of the box). He did get it back together again to finish the game stronger as the muscular Keane was thrown on against him.
Doyle 7.5/10 – He continued his excellent form. He was the best midfielder on the field in terms of how much yards he covered, his tacking and general play. Got his foot in and came away with the ball allowing us to move it quickly and into the forward players. He made some good blocks and recoveries too. He seems to be growing and enjoying having more responsibility. Only knock is his set plays were really poor today – one free kick way over and some corners that were floated straight to the keeper.
McAtee 7/10 – He does drift out of games for long periods but when he gets the ball, he generally comes alive. He set up the goal with a great run and cross and had a few other runs where he committed defenders or drew men across leaving space for others. He seems to be not in the game and then bang, he’s on it and we have the break through his dribbling and running with the ball. Had one effort curled wide before he came off. Becoming a big player for us getting key goals and assists.
Berge 7/10 – Ok today. Not amazing and not sure he was as involved still as I would like but he did not hide as much and his effort was fine. He had a few runs with the ball and linked well with others but he rarely gave it away and helped us control possession all game. Defensively he did a few ok things and just kept to a good solid position. I still want more but he did what he had to in terms of helping the control we had.
Ndiaye 8/10 – The best player on the field by a fair distance. Scored the goal with a poacher’s finish which was good to see as the goals have dried up a bit and he did well to get in front of his man and anticipate (Similar to his last league goal at Reading). He then showed the full repertoire with running, dribbling and flicks/tricks. The defence either were opened up or could not stop him or had to foul him; to stop him. He got hammer all game and incredible only one player was booked for fouling him. He was a joy to watch as he drifted away from players, ran at defenders and always looked like he may make things happen. Only slight negative is he did brilliantly to set up the second for himself but hit it straight at the man on the line. First half he was border line unplayable. Second half continued to work hard and came into midfield quite a bit to help recover possession but maybe did not see as much of him in terms of creation but still kept the ball very well. Just a delight to watch.
Sharp 6.5/10 – He worked hard and did help us keep the ball and was able to work for the team but he did miss two big chances. I felt the first he has to score and he had time to pick his spot. It was a great save but it was on a plate for him. The second was tougher and he just heads it down which is fine but again if he directs it away from him, he scores. Will be disappointed not to score. He kept plugging away before coming off for McBurnie just after the hour.
Subs –
McBurnie 6/10 – Did not think he was great when he came on and looked sluggish and gave it away a few times when we needed to keep it better. Once he set them on the attack! Was a bit better towards the end of the game as we were just managed the situation.
Norwood 6.5/10 –Fine in terms of most things but then twice he gave it away under no pressure with passes straight out. He did move it around linking with others though as the game finished as we just did what we needed.
Fleck – Showed some good energy in limited minutes and unfortunate not to get a penalty when he was pulled back. Did get booked himself for a pull back soon after as we were slowing things down.
Manager: Heckingbottom 7.5/10 – It’s a win and a solid performance where we were not threatened much and could have won the game even more comfortably than we did. He allowed McBurnie to rest a bit with lots of games coming up and also managed to rest McAtee and Doyle a bit with the same thing maybe on his mind. The subs were fine when he made them and nice, we have so many veterans that can help us just managed games at the moment. Two clean sheets and deserved solid 1-0’s is perfect for us and him at the moment.
Wigan – They only lost 1-0 but they were poor and could have had a bit of a hammering with better finishing/worse keeping. They went behind and somehow stated in the game at the break and did have a bit of a go but only a flurry for 5 minutes. Even with all the subs they made, not sure they really had a proper tilt at us and in the end almost settled for a narrow defeat. They look a side that is bereft of confidence and lack goals and give too many away at the other end. They have a relatively inexperienced manager and of course have changed the man at the top twice already this season. They lack quality really and will almost certainly go down I feel.
Opponent Man of the Match – Amos. Two superb saves in the game. Darikwa made a couple of great last-ditch tackles too.
Opponent Weak link – Thought Hughes was given the run around by Ndiaye but the midfield never got a proper foothold and Power and Tiehi were chasing shadows for long spells.
Referee/Officials – Andy Davies. We have had a few ok refs recently after some shockers this season but today we were back to a really frustrating one. He gave some odd decisions and at times let things go but then was fussy. Really frustrating. He let a lot of blatant stuff on McAtee and Ndiaye go but then penalised minimal contact (both ways). The one where Baldock was fouled and he gave it the other way was laughable. He then evened it up by doing the same for when Ndiaye backed into his man and he gave it to us when the defender just came over him. The Fleck one was a penalty but maybe he has to go down or be more theatrical (sad you almost have to hit the deck to get things) to make it obvious! It was a nothing sort of game but he made it more difficult to ref than he needed to.
Matchday/Crowd/Coverage – Felt the crowd were good. It was sold out (save for the few hundred we still cannot sell on the Kop but good to see more in that area today and more tickets released here) and the fans were appreciative we tried to attack and played some decent football led by the technical talents of Ndiaye and McAtee. The crowd helped see them over the line. It was not vociferous and Wigan are not the sort of side that will see the atmosphere being white hot but it was supportive and there was singing at the right times to help us over the line. Wigan brought maybe 1,000 at tops and did get behind their team but it was quite one sided at times and whilst they stayed in the game, they ended up losing and look a team destined to return back to League One after only one season.
