An absolutely disastrous performance at Bramall Lane saw Sheffield United lose 3-1 to relegation rivals Bournemouth, and the scoreline could’ve been far worse.
Player grades
Wes Foderingham: 2
Wes Foderingham faced criticism for Bournemouth’s second goal when he ventured out of his area, mis-controlling the ball, allowing Justin Kluivert to capitalise and score into the empty goal. Right before half-time, a pivotal moment required Foderingham to clear the ball decisively, but a misjudgment impacted his team heading into the break.
However, he did make a crucial save, denying Kluivert at 3-0, and followed it up with another excellent stop moments later.
Jayden Bogle: 1
Substituted at half-time, as Paul Heckingbottom opted for a double change, bringing on Ahmedhodzic and McBurnie. The player had contributed minimally in the first half, and the visitors frequently exploited the side he occupied.
The substitution aimed to inject a different dynamic into the team’s performance.
George Baldock: 4
A surprising under par performance from Baldock, but the passion wasn’t lacking. His cross late in the game found McBurnie to get the Blades on the scoresheet.
Jack Robinson: 4
Similar to Trusty, Robinson’s defensive challenges today were more a result of mistakes from other players than any shortcomings on his part. He displayed strength, particularly in aerial duels, and overall, did not make significant errors despite the scoreline.
Auston Trusty: 4
Possibly only Trusty and Robinson can come out of this game with any dignity.
Luke Thomas: 1
Shocking performance once again from Thomas. Always panics when he receives the ball with an opposition player around him. I refuse to believe he’s the best option we have at left-wingback. I don’t even remember Matt Hill being this bad.
Vinicius Souza: 1
Worst performance from Souza. Mentioned several times that Norwood and Souza cannot play together, and yesterday was another example. They are both slow and teams like Bournemouth who are athletic can easily bypass our midfield.
Oli Norwood: 1
Believe it or not Norwood is supposed to be our deep lying playmaker. Doubt anybody would have guessed that after that performance. Every time he got the ball he looked to hoof it as far away as possible. One of the worst midfield performances I’ve ever seen in a Blades shirt, rivalling Dean Hammond.
James McAtee: 4
Demonstrated good footwork at times in an effort to create opportunities in the final third. However, United struggled to involve him enough in the right areas, limiting his impact on the game.
Gustavo Hamer: 4
In the international break I called for Hamer to drop into midfield to replace Norwood or Souza. We’re limiting him massively by playing him wide left. At least he’s working hard, but we’ve paid £15 million to misuse him, based on what we’re currently seeing.
Cameron Archer: 4
Deprived of service in the first half, he consistently made runs into the channel. However, when he did receive the ball, options were scarce, and he had limited choices to capitalise on.
Another player Paul Heckingbottom is misusing. Who on earth would look at Archer and instruct players to loft the ball up to him, seriously?
Subs
Ahmedhodzic 3 (Bogle, HT)
McBurnie 5 (Souza, HT)
Osborn 5 (Thomas, 66)
Osula 5 (McAtee, 82)
Fleck 5 (Archer, 82)
