Football League World
·11 November 2024
Football League World
·11 November 2024
The Blades came out on top in the first Steel City for over half a decade.
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder and midfielder Vinicius Souza were both out celebrating the Blades' momentous Steel City derby victory over Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday evening.
United ended up as the victors in their inter-city clash with the Owls in what was the first game between the two sides since March 2019.
The Blades came into the contest at Sunday lunchtime looking to further maintain their strong start to the season, following their relegation from the Premier League last season. They are a side, this season, that is built in complete contrast to the one that lined up for them most weeks in the top flight. They are young and defensively stable.
They had only scored 18 goals in 14 games before the weekend, but that's not an issue if you concede as rarely as Wilder's side have done this season.
That theme of limiting the opposition's chances and taking the few that they get at the other end was played out again at Bramall Lane on Sunday, as the Blades converted with the only shot on target in the game, thanks to a close-range effort from Tyrese Campbell.
Wednesday boss Danny Rohl felt that a draw was the correct result, given the limited opportunities both teams had in front of goal, but what was fair didn't matter to those United fans who celebrated long into the night, and were surrounded by some familiar faces.
With just under two weeks until their next game, Wilder made sure to make the most of some of the quieter days that he had ahead of him by joining the Blades supporters in a local pub for what you could only imagine was a lot of drinks.
A video from social media captured the boss getting up on top of a table to start United's 'Swinging a Pig' chant.
Also captured in the video celebrating the result of the derby was former England men's cricket captain, Joe Root. The batsman was born in the Yorkshire town and has raised his children to support the Blades. He recently became the nation's all-time leading runs scorer in test match cricket.
Souza, who took the armband in the second half after Ollie Arblaster had to be taken off due to a knee injury, was part of the celebrating crowd too. Reports in the summer suggested that United wanted to move him on from Bramall Lane, but he has been largely immense this season, especially at the weekend.
He took to X after the game to put out a simple message regrading the match: "Sheffield is red."
No matter how a derby win comes about, those on the winning side of it should enjoy every second they have possession of those bragging rights.
As Rohl alluded to, they didn't get battered by their rivals, but that should not affect the joy that those Blades fans feel one bit.
Even though United were the last of the two sides to beat the other, it had been such a long time that it really didn't matter. They've now got until their trip to Hillsborough in March to enjoy this one as they rightfully should.