Nights like these, under the lights in the pouring rain and against an opponent with nothing to lose, when your two main rivals have already won earlier in the weekend, are the ones where title challenges can take an unexpected tumble.
The problem with that, though, is nobody appeared to inform Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side. The only things that tumbled here, in the end, were the records. With this, their seventh consecutive league victory to move within two points of Liverpool at the top, Arsenal became the first team in English league history to win three straight away games by a margin of five or more goals. In truth, this match could have been won by a far greater margin than the six the visitors effectively declared on against a Sheffield United team sinking down to the Championship with a whimper.
Of course, victory was the expectation here for Arteta and his side but it was the manner of the win which really caught the eye. For 45 minutes, Arsenal were practically faultless. Yes, the ineptitude of their opponents played into their hands but the way in which the visitors attacked was magnificent. The tone was set from the very first minute when the outstanding Bukayo Saka rattled the crossbar and Gabriel Martinelli too came close. Four minutes later, Martin Ødegaard opened both the scoring and the floodgates.
By the 15-minute mark it was 3-0 as a superb ball across goal was turned into the net by Jayden Bogle and Martinelli added the third. Even then, so early into proceedings, it was a case of how many Arsenal would win by. The answer was six, with five of them coming before half-time, but Arteta and his players clearly eased off the gas, perhaps with one eye already on Saturday’s game against Brentford, when victory would move them top of the Premier League before Liverpool and Manchester City square off on Sunday.
“A great night,” said Arteta. “It’s a really difficult place to come and the way we started the game made a difference. We were aggressive, we were positive and we showed real quality, especially in the final third. We maintained the rhythm and the hunger and I love that about the team. We have to continue to do well. It is about maintaining the momentum.”
That third goal prompted Chris Wilder to sacrifice Oliver Norwood and revert to a back five, but it mattered little. Arsenal had too much quality even with an extra defender to contend with, underlined when Kai Havertz finished past a helpless Ivo Grbic to make it 4-0. Six minutes before the break, there was a mass exodus among the home supporters as Saka again caused mayhem in the hosts’ backline, squaring for Declan Rice to add a fifth with a beautiful finish and leave fans wondering just how many records, as well as goals, Arsenal could end the night with.
They certainly eased off after the restart, epitomised by the decision to substitute Saka at the break after he reported feeling unwell. The 22-year-old certainly didn’t need to be risked, and how Sheffield United would have been relieved to see him depart, but the damage had already been done. They have conceded five goals or more in four consecutive home games, and a staggering 72 in total in the league this season.
They are sinking without trace back to the Championship and this performance underlined simply how far behind the pace they are when it comes to the Premier League. “We thought we had a blueprint to a good performance,” Wilder reflected. “I thought that was the best way forward but elementary defensive mistakes, really disappointing ones really, hurt us. It was too easy. They were in a different league, a different planet to us.”
Mercifully for Wilder and his side, Arsenal did step off in intensity. There was only one goal in the second half but it was arguably the pick of the bunch, as Havertz teed up Ben White for a wonderful curling finish past Grbic to make it six. Had Arsenal wanted more, they probably would have got them. The only scare for Arsenal was the withdrawal of Martinelli with a cut on his foot that will be assessed in the coming days.
By then, three sides of Bramall Lane were at least half empty. This proud old club appears increasingly resigned to its fate and, on nights like these, it’s not difficult to see why.
But it should also be caveated that, as poor as Wilder’s players were, they were utterly blown away by a spellbinding first half from Arsenal. Unlike last year, when their title challenge fell apart, this year their momentum is snowballing at precisely the right time. You can be sure Liverpool and Manchester City are aware of that, too.
