Iconic Match: Seven years since Blades and Fulham’s nine-goal thriller | OneFootball

This season the Blades have only conceded two goals at Bramall Lane in the league and 7 in total. But 7 years ago today, Bramall Lane saw nine goals in just one match, with two hat-tricks.

2017 will forever be associated with the Bounce Slayer Steel City Derby but the Blades’ defeat to Fulham 4 goals to 5 may take silver in terms of memorability.

Outside of the goals, the game would have allowed the Blades to go top of the Championship. Plus, in hindsight, the game saw Chris Wilder take on his eventual successor Slavisa Jokanovic.

THE GAME: GOAL BY GOAL

Blades 1-0 Fulham 6′

The Blades opened the scoring on the sixth minute through Leon Clarke. United’s No. 9 who tapped in the rebound after John Fleck’s outside of the box shot.

(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Blades 1-1 Fulham 28′

The Cottagers hit back 22 minutes later through Sheyi Ojo, a tapped back pass from Cameron Carter-Vickers saw Ojo run through and beat Jamal Blackman in goal.

Blades 1-2 Fulham 30′

Then, just two minutes later, Ryan Sessegnon’s touch left Carter-Vickers on the floor and from the edge of the box he slotted the ball into the far bottom corner.

Blades 2-2 Fulham 39′

Clarke got his second of the game from a tight angle with the ball beating both defender Tim Ream and goalkeeper David Button.

Blades 2-3 Fulham 43′

Not to be out done by Clarke, Sessegnon bagged his brace and returned the lead to Fulham just before half-time. Ojo’s cross found Sessegnon unmarked at the back post as he tapped into an open net.

Blades 2-4 Fulham 69′

The first goal of the second-half. Fulham striker Aboubakar Kamara powered forward and passed the ball to Ojo, who became the match’s third player on a brace. His shot cruelly deflecting off of John Lundstram before going into the net.

Blades 2-5 Fulham 78′

(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Sessegnon became the first player of the game to score a hat-trick. A cross-field ball from one, Oliver Norwood, found Sessegnon just outside the Blades box as he ran into score from a similarly narrow angle to Clarke’s first-half goal. It was a great moment for the then, 17 year-old, who was playing his 50th game for the Cottagers.

Blades 3-5 Fulham 86′

The Blades only non-Clarke goal. Samir Carruthers beat four players before shooting from range and putting the ball past a stranded Button.

Blades 4-5 Fulham 90′

The Blades made added time interesting as Clarke got his hat-trick to match Sessegnon. On the left-side of the box, Sharp crossed the ball to an unmarked Clarke who headed in the Blades’ fourth in front of the kop. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get a draw.

Takeaways

There aren’t many defeats that can leave Blades fans quite as entertained as this game. By the end of the season, the scoreline made more sense, Jokanovic’s high-scoring Fulham scored 79 goals in the league. Whilst, Wilder’s Blades, despite having only just been promoted, were fighters unwilling to accept defeat all season, leading to a close goal-fest.

Equally, the game has further increased its significance in the seven years since. Since then, the opposition manager, Jokanovic replaced Chris Wilder and Fulham’s playmaker Oliver Norwood would become the Blades captain.