Tasked with welcoming Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool to Bramall Lane just a day after confirming his return to the Steel City, Sheffield United’s Chris Wilder would hope that his brief time with the players would be enough to mastermind a shock result.
SHU: Foderingham; Trusty, Robinson, Ahmedhodzic; Brooks, Souza, Hamer, Bogle; Archer, McAtee; Osula
LIV: Kelleher; Gomez, van Dijk, Konaté, Alexander-Arnold; Mac Allister, Endo, Szoboszlai; Diaz, Gakpo, Salah
A beloved figure in the red half of Sheffield, Chris Wilder’s return to the Bramall Lane dugout was never going to be an easy task. Challenged with the visit of a buoyant Liverpool side, fans hoped he would turn their fortunes around after eleven losses from their first fourteen Premier League matches under Paul Heckingbottom.
And for the majority of the first half, they looked capable of producing a shock result – but when Virgin van Dijk slammed home a side-footed volley from a corner with 37 minutes on the clock, the home fans were silenced. Their desperate calls for a foul in the buildup were rejected by the referee, as the Dutchman wheeled away to celebrate.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe second goal came in stoppage time, with Dominik Szoboszlai sparking further controversy. His neat finish had been assisted by Darwin Núñez, with the Uruguayan’s crunching challenge on Jayden Bogle judged to be fair in the buildup.
Another hard-fought victory for Jürgen Klopp’s men moves them to within two points of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at the top of the table, while Sheffield United remain rooted to the bottom of the table despite a spirited performance.
