Sheffield United aimed to rebound after the disappointing performance against Newcastle at Bramall Lane, and while there was improvement against West Ham, the Blades ultimately fell to yet another defeat.
The defensive vulnerabilities exposed by the Magpies were evident again, and the Blades were fortunate to limit the damage to just two goals at the London Stadium, with Soucek missing a couple of good chances having already found the back of the net. Bowen kicked off the scoring in the first half, and in the second half, he would’ve been disappointed with himself after taking the ball past Wes Foderingham but his pull-back led to nothing.
Paul Heckingbottom can draw some positives as his team generated chances against the Hammers, but they weren’t the most clear cut of chances.
Sheffield United’s manager gave his reaction to his team’s 2-0 defeat:
“There were lots of things to be positive about but ultimately we gave the ball away in a poor area of the pitch with a loose pass for their second goal – and we made a defensive error for the first goal.
“The second half was much more like us, we gave them less space and we were much more compact when we attacked which allowed us to win the ball back more often.
“But when you are 2-0 down, you are waiting for that goal that could have made it a nervy finish for West Ham – we didn’t get it and that makes the game easier for them.” [BBC]
