Match Preview: We know what will happen to Brighton at Sheffield United…
Sometimes when a team is relegated ages before the end of the season, they suddenly start winning. The pressure is off and although it is too little, too late, it clicks and unexpected three points begin ending up in the bank. Which is why we are a little worried writing this Sheffield United v Brighton match preview.
For this is exactly the sort of game that the Albion have a long and proud tradition of cocking up. After a fine run of results – including victories over Southampton and Newcastle United and draws with Everton and Chelsea – which have significantly eased relegation fears, it would be typical Brighton to now go and lose against the rock-bottom Blades.
Sheffield United this season
Cast your mind back around a year ago and you may remember some Sheffield United fans demanding Brighton be banished to the Championship for not wanting to play at neutral venues when football resumed after lockdown.
The Blades mistakenly thought that Paul Barber wanted the season abandoned so that the Albion did not end up relegated, rather than simply believing every club should complete the campaign having played 19 home games and 19 away games. They were livid at what they saw as Brighton trying to deny them the chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
Life comes at you fast sometimes. The season was completed – as Brighton and United wanted – without the need for anyone to be automatically banished. And now here we are, with United on route to the second tier having picked up just 14 points, losing 26 of their 32 games so far.
To complete a miserable campaign, the Blades have also sacked Chris Wilder, the man who led them from League One to the top 10 of the Premier League inside of three years.
Had Wilder stayed in position, you would have fancied United to follow in the footsteps of Norwich City who stuck with Daniel Farke after relegation and have subsequently romped to the Championship title.
Instead, they have fired the man who looked best placed to secure immediate return to the top flight and now face having to start essentially from scratch.
Recent form
As well as occupying last place in the Premier League, Sheffield United are also rock bottom of the current form table. Wilder lost his final match in charge 2-0 against Southampton and caretaker boss Paul Heckingbottom has overseen five consecutive defeats, leaving United on a six game losing streak.
They have scored just one goal in that run, Ben Osborn’s consolation in a 2-1 Yorkshire Derby defeat against The Leeds United. At the other end, 15 have flown past Aaron Ramsdale. Not scoring enough and conceding too many has been the story of the Blades’ season.
Brighton v Sheffield United head-to-head
There have been 30 meetings between Brighton and Sheffield United since the first clash. That came in the FA Cup first round in the 1921-22 season, when the Albion shocked their higher-division opponents by winning 1-0 through Wally Little.
United have won 13, Brighton nine and eight draws. The Blades have certainly enjoyed the better of recent matches, with only Brighton victory in the past 11 stretching back to 1987.
Brighton’s head-to-head record with Sheffield United
Last six meetings
• Brighton 1-1 Sheffield United (Premier League, 20/12/20)
• Sheffield United 1-1 Brighton (Premier League, 22/02/20)
• Brighton 0-1 Sheffield United (Premier League, 21/12/19)
• Sheffield United 3-1 Brighton (Championship, 21/01/06)
• Brighton 0-1 Sheffield United (Championship, 13/09/05)
• Sheffield United 1-2 Brighton (Championship, 15/01/05)
That sole victory came in the 2004-05 season, when Mark McGhee’s Brighton secured a shock three points late in the day over Neil Warnock’s promotion chasing Blades.
Leon Knight scored a 90th minute winner in a 2-1 win after Richard Carpenter had opened the scoring and Kerry Mayo equalised with a wonderful own goal so surprising that even the television cameras missed it.
At this point in the match preview, we do unfortunately have to mention the last time Brighton played Sheffield United back in December. United had one point from their first 13 matches when they rocked up at the Amex and when John Lundstram was sent off in the first half, everything was in place for the Albion to go on and win their first home match of the season.
Except of course this is Brighton we are talking about. Despite having only 10 men, the visitors took the lead through Jayden Bogle just past the hour mark.
They held the advantage until the 87th minute, when substitute Danny Welbeck saved his teammates and Graham Potter from considerable embarrassment by equalising for the Albion.
Becoming the first side to lose to the Blades this season in a game in which they played for only an hour with 10 men would have been up there with the 1-0 defeat to nine-man Walsall. And you wonder why we are expecting the worst at Bramall Lane…
Team news
United’s struggles this season have not been helped by an injury list more extensive than the number of mates that Boris Johnson and co have given multi-million pound government contracts too.
Among the missing for the Albion’s visit will be one-time Brighton target Sander Berge, Ollie McBurnie who traumatised Adam Webster in last season’s meeting at the Amex and Billy Sharp, who presumably is still recovering from that Lewis Dunk tackle when he was a Doncaster Rovers player in 2011.
For the Albion, Ben White is suspended after taking one for the team and picking up a necessary red card late on against Chelsea to prevent Callum Hudson-Odoi having a free run at goal.
Potter has numerous options for replacing White. Either Dan Burn or Joel Veltman could drop into the backline, with Jakub Moder or Pascal Gross occupying a wing back slot.
Having rested Neal Maupay and Adam Lallana at Stamford Bridge, Potter will need to find a way to allow their reintroduction which might leave Alexis Mac Allister vulnerable to an immediate return to the bench. Or we might see Jason Steele at centre back and Billy Reid up top, who knows?
Sheffield United’s key players
Berge, McBurnie and Jack O’Connell are arguably the Blades’ three best players – O’Connell particularly so given how important he is to their overlapping centre backs system. Not that we need to worry as all three are currently injured.
The betting value for Sheffield United v Brighton
In our match preview for Brighton against European Super League club Chelsea, we advised backing the draw which may have seemed mad at the time – and backing another stalemate against Sheffield United will seem equally odd but for different reasons.
The world and its wife might be expecting the Albion to get a result at Bramall Lane, but long-suffering Brighton fans who have seen the aforementioned nine-man Walsall debacle or a 1-0 defeat at home to Tranmere Rovers a week after hammering Northwich Victoria 8-0 know how this goes.
You can back the draw at 11/4 or a United win at 9/2. Alternatively, take the double chance of Sheffield United draw no bet which is available at a rather larger 31/10.
An interesting subplot
The Albion have taken just four points from five matches against the bottom three and are yet to beat any side in the relegation zone so far this season. This match preview is really instilling confidence in you ahead of Sheffield United v Brighton, isn’t it…
A good WeAreBrighton.com memory of Sheffield United away
Sheffield is one of the best away days in the country and a trip to Bramall Lane is always much more enjoyable than visiting the north of the city and home of self-entitlement which is Hillsborough.
Even when Brighton fail to win at Sheffield United (practically every visit, already covered in the preview) it is still a great trip. Most people would probably name that rare win in 2005 as the highlight, but a year later a booze-fuelled visit had too many unspeakable moments to mention, including an incident in Burger King at the station with several litres of Smirnoff Ice. Not even a 3-1 defeat could ruin that one.
A bad WeAreBrighton.com memory of Sheffield United away
As a 15-year-old, I bunked off school on a Tuesday night in 2003 to go and watch the Albion lose 2-1 against Sheffield United. Everybody knew where I’d been, which meant some awkward questions to answer the following day having only got back to Sussex at 3am in the morning.
Except during science where the Brighton-supporting teacher wanted to know exactly what had happened. If you are reading this, hello Mr Frean!
Sheffield United’s most famous fan
The world’s greatest actor, Sean Bean. An honourable mention for the bloke that Robert Carlyle plays in The Full Monty who is also a Blades fan, and of course Neil Warnock. Oh, and the lovely Jessica Ennis-Hill used to have one of the stands at Bramall Lane named after her. What a bloody fantastic bunch.
Prediction
In-form Brighton know a win will basically keep them up against a side already relegated, who have lost their past six, conceding 15 and scoring just once, and who have won been defeated 26 times this season. Are you even an Albion fan if you are not expecting this to finish Sheffield United 1-0 Brighton?
