Chris Wilder makes 'incredible' Liverpool claim and pinpoints defender who made all the difference

Chris Wilder insisted there was no shame in losing to Liverpool after Alexis Mac Allister's "world-class" consigned Sheffield United to a 3-1 defeat at Anfield.

The Blades, who are rock-bottom of the Premier League and 10 points from safety with just eight games of the season remaining, restored parity midway through the second half when a Conor Bradley own-goal cancelled out Darwin Nunez's bizarre opener but fell to a defeat after late goals from Mac Allister, which Wilder described as "world-class", and Cody Gakpo.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Wilder said: "Playing at Anfield in front of 60,000 going into the last ten games of the season, it doesn't come more difficult for anyone, especially Sheffield United and the gulf between the two clubs. I just think the physical aspect of the game in the Premier League now has taken an incredible step forward.

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"Robertson coming on the pitch, the power and the pace of the Premier League, that's been our Achilles heel all season. And yet again Liverpool are finding goals late on and we're struggling to hang on in there; recovery runs late on, you've seen our players cramping up and struggling to get back on.

"From my point of view, it's a difficult one to take. You want the players to give everything that they've got and you've certainly seen that from the team tonight.

"They've given everything they've got over the last three games but physically the gap where you'd need to be, I'd like to be and want us to be and where we are at the moment, it hurts. It's hurt all season and yet again it's cost us tonight."

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