Sheffield United (U21s) 1-2 Crystal Palace (U21s)

Sheffield United (U21s) 1-2 Crystal Palace (U21s)

Premier League Cup

Monday 14th November 2022

A night out at Bramall Lane and this game somehow ended in defeat for Sheffield United despite the fact they were much the better team against Crystal Palace.

The Blades, playing against 10 men for the entire second half after Kofi Balmer's dismissal in first half injury-time, performed very well - getting the ball down and knocking it about with style and confidence, seizing the initiative when they had to, and showing unquestionable effort and commitment in their search for a positive result.

After Ademola Ola-Adebomi's opener late in the first half had put Palace ahead, United battled tremendously and eventually got back on level terms when the undisputed 'Man Of The Match' Owen Hampson slotted home with about a quarter-of-an-hour to go.

That equaliser was met with a roar inside Bramall Lane but the dust had barely settled when John-Kymani Gordon went straight down the other end and somehow rifled a shot past Jordan Amissah from the acutest of acute angles to put Palace ahead again.

And there was an inevitable sense that this was just going to be one of them nights in the dying minutes because having had two penalty shouts waved away earlier in the half (the second of which was an absolute stone-waller when Hampson was deliberately pulled back), Finley Potter struck a post, Hampson had a shot blocked and Andre Brooks drew a flying save from the Palace 'keeper all in the space of just one of six agonising minutes of injury-time.

When your luck is out, your luck is out... and it just wasn't to be United's night!

Despite the scoreline, what the Blades' performance proved beyond doubt is that there's nothing whatsoever between themselves and a typical Category One team - the fact Bristol City walloped Newcastle, 4-0, in the other group game also shows 'categories' should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Palace had some decent players, albeit they looked very much to be a team of individuals, whereas the Blades were the more fluid, cohesive and stronger team containing all the stand-out performers across the 90 minutes. 

Individually, the best player on the pitch was Owen Hampson who was excellent with his relentless work-rate from linking things up to getting into exploitative positions to score. It resulted in one goal (brilliant from the technique to the clinical execution with the shot), it should have resulted in another when he got in-behind but seemed to square it across the box to Jili Buyabu rather than shoot himself, but he was bright, lively, has earned and now cemented his place in this team. He also played well in the defeat at Barnsley the other week.

Louie Marsh's technique and his ability to glide past opponents, evident three times in the second half (the run down the touchline, the chance and the assist for the goal) was a brilliant example of why I love watching him. It was still a frustrating night given that he didn't score and moreover the scoreline itself, but watching him feels so worthwhile. I love what he's about and I know I'm right to draw comparisons with Aaron Collins at Bristol Rovers who I love to pieces having seen him at the same age. His ability is so evident; he's joint-top scorer in the league for a reason and I'm rooting for him to flourish and his name to become known to as many people as possible; that's how much I rate him!

Jili Buyabu, playing at left-wing-back, was also a pleasure to watch with his energy; twisting, turning, doing the occasional stepover and producing an excellent all-round attacking display. His contribution in bursting to the byline and whipping in a cross which Theo Williams fired over on the half-volley in an early chance was superb and he performed really well. Andre Brooks was energetic at times further ahead of him, showed pace and tried to make things happen whenever he cut inside and wasn't afraid to just pull the trigger and have a pop. It didn't pay off, but I couldn't fault it - especially in the second half. Theo Williams was 'persistent' and clearly has the making of a good player (that's been evident when I've watched him before too). He works hard, had a few chances in a 5-10 minute spell in the first half - including one where the Palace 'keeper did well to make himself big and make the shot more difficult, and whilst I actually think he was unlucky to be substituted, his replacement Antwoine Hackford looked lively and contributed a lot in the last half-hour and nearly made positive things come to fruition.

At the back, Finley Potter showed what he was all about and defended in a no-nonsense old fashioned manner; grappling and tussling from the fourth minute onwards with Palace's centre-forward who had his hands all over him, then epitomising bravery when he put his neck on the line (literally) to block a thunderous 25-yard drive by a Palace attacker who'd fended off Sai Sachdev and was running straight towards him. It's a shame he didn't equalise right at the end when his effort came back off the post but, that aside, it was a good performance and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. I know he's a good player anyway, hence the England call-up a while ago, and whilst I didn't get to see him last year because of his injury, this game taught me what he was all about.

I hadn't seen Frankie Maguire play properly until a few weeks ago either where I absolutely loved his performance against Barnsley and, in a similar deep-lying position, he again read things well in this game. He demonstrated another side to what he's about; being tenacious and aggressive to go with his quality on the ball. He won tussles, made some very good defensive interceptions at 0-0 - including one on the halfway line midway through the first half where he won the ball through showing more commitment. There was a header just afterwards, close to the byline and under pressure which he leapt to win well (and needed to win too because if he hadn't there'd have been problems). What he lacks in height he made up for with commitment. His quality and passing range was okay and across the last two performances that I've seen, then I've already got so much belief in him and what he can do with a football.

The game dynamic and how things panned out - plus the fact more things went down the opposite flank, meant Sai Sachdev had a quiet night in comparison to others but he still had an early shot when Louie Marsh slipped the ball to him after a quick-throw, and he looked to have been caught in the face by John-Kymani Gordon's flailing hand (unintentional) in the same move where Finley Potter eventually blocked the shot with his neck. I can't comment too much on how either Nicksoen Gomis or Connor Barrett performed simply because they weren't put under the same sort of intense pressure by Palace's attackers that United showed at the other end, and whilst Jordan Amissah might feel a bit disappointed with the goal he conceded at his near-post which turned out to be the winner, the plaudits in my opinion need to go to the attacker for being able to find what looked an impossible angle and having the audacity to shoot, let alone nailing it to absolute perfection.

Leo Gaxha will also be happy to have got some minutes when he was brought on and United properly went for it. He was involved in quite a few bits and pieces - especially very late on, had one shot blocked, although I'd want to see him for longer before commenting on his performance.

Overall, it's always a pleasure to watch Sheffield United.

The quality and depth in their ranks cannot be denied; I appreciate watching quality which is why I always enjoy watching them and they ought to be pleased with how they performed, despite the result. The tempo, adrenaline, determination and effort levels were all present, luck sadly wasn't - hence the scoreline, but playing like this and making the 1% improvements here and there, it'll only be a matter of time before they get the results their performances merit.

Team: Jordan Amissah, Sai Sachdev, Jili Buyabu, Finley Potter, Connor Barrett (Leo Gaxha), Nicksoen Gomis, Owen Hampson, Frankie Maguire, Theo Williams (Antwoine Hackford), Louie Marsh, Andre Brooks. Unused Subs: Luther Williams, Dylan Wharton, Levis Pitan.