We are hurtling towards the halfway point of a Championship season that is delivering once again – and there was no escaping that this could be a night which has huge significance for so many different reasons.
For Sheffield United and Sunderland, this was an acid test of their promotion credentials like few they have faced before this season. A winner-takes-all night under the lights, with top spot in the Championship at stake – even if for potentially only 24 hours – and a clear message sent in terms of showing they are capable of lasting the distance in a season that is fast becoming compelling at every turn.
In the end, you could argue both sides did enough to showcase that but it was the Blades who came through an incident-packed evening to claim the spoils and move to the summit. This was an extension of a home record that is fast becoming remarkable: eight home wins in succession and with eight consecutive clean sheets. Only QPR have scored here in a Championship game this season: and that was back in August.
They were grateful to Michael Cooper for extending the latter part of that record here, with his first-half save from Patrick Roberts’ penalty keeping it scoreless at the break. But by half-time, both teams had been reduced to 10 men, with Chris Mepham shown a straight red for Sunderland either side of two bookings for Harry Souttar that saw him sent off, too.
But just when it looked as though we would be heading for a stalemate at Bramall Lane, up stepped the man few would have expected to prove to be the difference here.
While this was a significant night for Sheffield United on the whole, you do wonder how defining a moment it could be for the career of Tom Davies, whose first goal for the Blades here could not have come at a better time.
Davies’ career has threatened to grind to a halt after a promising start; this was only his 11th appearance for United after joining nearly 18 months ago. A hamstring injury in March sidelined him for eight months but after making his comeback against Oxford on Tuesday, this was some way to round off the week, with Davies scoring the winner with six minutes to go to settle this compelling contest.
“Everyone is delighted for him,” Chris Wilder said of the midfielder. “His qualities are there to be seen. Sometimes the game beats you up a bit but when you get those sorts of stories in football, it puts a smile on your face.
“It’s a win that takes us to where we want to be; I thought the boys’ attitude, desire and belief late on was outstanding.”
Despite that frustrating late blow, Sunderland’s travelling support would have surely seen enough to be heartened by their own promotion prospects. They had much the better of the chances across most of the first half and had Roberts converted his penalty after Jack Robinson felled Tommy Watson, this could have been a completely different outcome.
“I think we played the game we wanted to play,” said Régis Le Bris after his side’s first defeat in 10 games. “We dominated the most important part of the game but we struggled to score. I thought we were the best team on the pitch but at the end, it doesn’t mean anything because we didn’t win.”
The dismissals of Mepham and Souttar effectively cancelled one another out and as the second half began, it was the visitors who again looked more threatening, largely though the exploits of Wilson Isidor. However, as the contest approached its latter stages, it was his side who continued to assert their authority on proceedings.
Anthony Patterson denied both Vini Souza and Sydie Peck with smart saves but when the ball fell to Davies’ feet inside area with six minutes left, his shot squirmed under the Sunderland goalkeeper’s body to spark wild celebrations. At full-time, after the Blades held on to secure victory, the entire squad rushed to Davies to celebrate with him to underline how significant a night this was for him, as well as his team.
Wilder would be the first to admit this was far from a vintage display from his side. But he would also be quick to tell you that promotion is earned through one metric only: points. To that end, you do wonder come May just how important Davies’s late strike here could prove to be.
