Sheffield United 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday: Blades Claim Bragging Rights in Scrappy Affair | OneFootball

Sheffield United edged past Sheffield Wednesday with a narrow 1-0 victory on Sunday afternoon.

In an extremely tight game, it took a decisive second-half strike from Tyrese Campbell in the 50th minute to lift the roof off of Bramall Lane.

Despite Chris Wilder hinting that Kieffer Moore and Rhian Brewster could be involved in the matchday squad, both were not risked.

Lineups

Blades: Cooper, Gilchrist (Seriki 45), Arblaster (Peck 45), Souttar, Hamer, O’Hare, Rak-Sakyi (McCallum 73), Burrows (Robinson 85), Ahmedhodzic, Souza, Campbell (Oné 73).

Unused: A. Davies, McCallum, Shackleton, Robinson, Norrington-Davies, Brooks.

Wednesday: Beadle, Lowe, Bernard, Iorfa, Ingelsson (Gassama 62), Bannan, Windass (Lowe 81), Ugbo (Musaba 75), Johnson (Smith 62), Valery (Valentin 81), S. Charles.

Unused: P. Charles, Palmer, Otegbayo.

First half

Both teams struggled to establish dominance early doors. It was a scrappy affair with limited opportunities, with both sides testing each other in the midfield more than in front of goal.

One of the few bright spots came when United’s O’Hare showed some skill, turning to control Rak-Sakyi’s cross, only for his attempt to be deflected into the arms of Beadle. Toward the end of the half, Charles had an opportunity after Johnson’s low cross was only half-cleared, but he couldn’t keep his shot down, sending it over the bar.

The competitive nature of the match was apparent in the tackles, as both teams received bookings. Burrows was shown a yellow card for a mistimed challenge on Iorfa in the 26th minute, while Bannan picked up a booking following a forceful challenge on the Blades’ left-back, which arguably could’ve been a red card.

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 10: Anthony Musaba of Sheffield Wednesday has a shot blocked by Femi Seriki of Sheffield United during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield United FC and Sheffield Wednesday FC at Bramall Lane on November 10, 2024 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Ed Sykes/Getty Images)

Second half

At halftime, Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder looked to his bench, bringing on Femi Seriki and Sydie Peck in place of Alfie Gilchrist and Oliver Arblaster.

The breakthrough came just five minutes into the second half. United capitalised on a free-kick opportunity, with Hamer keeping the play alive after Burrows’ initial delivery. His pass found O’Hare, who skillfully laid it off to Tyrese Campbell. Campbell made no mistake, drilling his shot into the net in front of the Kop, sparking wild celebrations from the United faithful.

Just five minutes after taking the lead, Hamer tried to get in on the action and double United’s advantage, however, his long-range free-kick effort sailed way over the bar and into the stand.

With the game ticking down, the away side brought on Anthony Musaba and Djeidi Gassama, and it was the former who burst the Wednesday attack into life when he drove with the ball down the right flank, cutting inside and into United’s box. But, the Blades’ subs, Seriki and Peck, managed to expertly snuff out the danger with last-ditch challenges.

Wednesday seemed to be the team with more energy left in the tank as the game entered injury time, though United’s defence stood firm and didn’t even concede a shot on their goal.

Sheffield United claimed bragging rights, in a poor game that could only conjure up one shot on target, Campbell’s winner. The Blades won’t care; they enter this international break with a win in the Steel City derby, sitting second, level on 31 points with league leaders Sunderland.