Sheffield United will be feeling a huge sense of relief after climbing off the foot of the table by clinching a much deserved point against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Former Blades forward Carl Asaba, speaking on the Blades Heaven podcast, attributed the team’s point in the away game against Brighton to an unfortunate injury to Vinicius Souza, which forced tactical adjustments by manager Paul Heckingbottom.
“It’s a positive but if I’m going to be super critical, I want us to get the wins but I don’t want the wins to be coming from an enforced substitution. That’s what happened there.
“Vinny [Souza] was staying on, but because he got his injury the formation changed, the substitution was made and we went on and got the point. Unless Vinny came off, that was going to persist until they got a second or third.”
Sheffield United’s recent results, a victory over Wolves and a draw against Brighton, mark the first time they have avoided defeat in consecutive Premier League matches since July 2020 under Chris Wilder, a streak of four games with three wins and one draw.
Interestingly, three of the Blades’ ten goals scored in the Premier League this season have come from own goals: Jordan Pickford, Antonee Robinson, and Adam Webster. They are the team benefiting the most from own goals in the league this season.
Sheffield United have crucial games coming up against relegation rivals Bournemouth, at Bramall Lane, and then against Burnley, at Turf Moor, with Burnley currently sat at the foot of the table. The Cherries are 17th and four points above United, but that gap will shrink if Paul Heckingbottom’s men come out on top at Bramall Lane on the 25th of November.
