In yet another closely contested Premier League encounter, Sheffield United showed resilience but not much quality in a 3-2 loss to Crystal Palace away from home.
The Blades held the lead twice during the match courtesy of goals from Ben Brereton-Diaz and James McAtee. However, despite their efforts, they were pegged back twice before halftime, and an impressive strike from Michael Olise secured the win for Palace in the second half.
United’s manager, Chris Wilder, opted for a refreshed starting lineup, making five changes from their FA Cup defeat to Brighton over the weekend. Oli McBurnie, Jack Robinson, Vini Souza, Anis Slimane, and McAtee were all brought into the starting eleven, while Cameron Archer, Ollie Norwood, Ben Osborn, Will Osula, and Rhys Norrington-Davies found themselves on the bench for this fixture.
Lineups
Palace: Henderson, Mitchell, Guehi, Olise (Schlupp 70), Lerma, Ayew, Eze (Ozoh 78), Mateta (Edouard 90), Andersen, Hughes, Richards.
Unused: Johnstone, Tomkins, Franca, Clyne, Ahamada, Riedewald.
Blades: Grbić (Foderingham 52), Trusty, Hamer (Archer 87), McBurnie (Osula 63), Brereton Diaz (Brooks HT), Ahmedhodžić, Robinson (Larouci 82), Bogle, Souza, Slimane (Norrington-Davies HT), McAtee.
Unused: Norwood, Osborn, Seriki.
First half
United took the hosts by surprise, securing an early lead just 20 seconds into the game. Starting straight from the kick-off, Souza passed the ball square to Jayden Bogle, who then delivered a low pass to McBurnie. With a delicate flick, McBurnie set up Gustavo Hamer, who swiftly passed to the left side. Brereton-Diaz received the ball, advanced, cut inside, and expertly curled a shot beyond former Blades goalkeeper Dean Henderson, scoring his second goal for the club.
Palace attempted to respond quickly, with Auston Trusty clearing a low cross and Anel Ahmedhodžić making a crucial clearance as the home side looked for an opportunity.
However, on the 17th minute mark, Palace managed to equalise. Olise delivered a tempting cross from the right, finding Eze, whose outstretched leg redirected the ball past Ivor Grbić on his Premier League debut.
Despite the momentum swinging in favour of the hosts, United surprised the majority of the crowd at Selhurst Park by regaining the lead just three minutes later. Brereton-Diaz passed forward to McBurnie, who displayed great strength to hold off two Palace defenders before passing wide. McAtee received the ball and took a shot from 25 yards, which deflected off Marc Guéhi, looping over Henderson and finding the back of the net.
United found themselves leveled again with a goal of undeniable brilliance on the 27th minute. Eze received a pass from Olise 25 yards from goal, evaded Souza, shifted into a central position, and unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner, leaving Grbić with no chance.
Shortly after, United relied on Souza to maintain parity in the game when Eze’s deep free-kick found Olise at the far post. Olise directed the ball towards goal, only for the Brazilian midfielder to clear it at the last moment.
Second half
At halftime, United opted for a double substitution, bringing on Norrington-Davies and Andre Brooks for Slimane and Brereton Diaz. This prompted Wilder to switch to three center-backs, with Robinson positioned on the right, Ahmedhodžić on the left, and Trusty in the middle.
There was a setback for Grbić, who collided with Jean-Phillipe Mateta while collecting a routine ball. Although he expressed a desire to continue after receiving treatment, Grbić was ultimately substituted, with Wes Foderingham taking his place.
On the hour mark, Foderingham was immediately called into action, saving Olise’s low effort, only for the linesman to raise the flag for offside. Palace continued to threaten, with Mateta shooting over the bar on 63 minutes following a pass from Eze.
United then made another substitution, replacing McBurnie with Osula.
In the 67th minute, Palace seized the lead for the first time in the match. A deflected shot from Mateta fell to Olise, who had initiated the attack, and the former Reading player expertly finished low into the corner from 20 yards. Olise, who had been a constant threat to United, was subsequently replaced by Jeffrey Schlupp.
Eze, another standout performer for Palace, displayed his skill by dribbling into the area but was denied by a smart save at his near post by Foderingham.
With eight minutes left on the clock, Wilder introduced Yasser Larouci into the mix, replacing Robinson. Larouci almost made an instant impact as his cross-shot was met by Ahmedhodžić’s header, rattling the crossbar. In the ensuing sequence, Bogle’s delivery found Osula, whose shot was blocked, and Brooks’ follow-up attempt was parried away by Henderson.
