Wolves 1-0 Sheffield United: Sarabia's flicked header sends the hosts into 8th
When team-mates turn on each other instead of the opposition, it does not say much for their chances of staging an unlikely escape from relegation.
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder called on his team to ‘swing some punches’ when he returned to the club last December and here Jack Robinson and Vini Souza took his instructions a little too literally.
Trailing to a header from Wolves forward Pablo Sarabia that proved the only goal of the game, Souza and Robinson called one another out before a restart in play, with Souza appearing to shove his team-mate in the face.
It was not on the scale of Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer’s punch-up while at Newcastle in 2005, nor the fisticuffs between Blackburn pair Graeme Le Saux and David Batty a decade earlier. But it illustrated the sense of hopelessness and chaos Blades must feel as they continue an apparently inevitably journey back to the Championship.
Far more frustrating for Wilder was that Wolves got out of jail here. United were the more effective side but could not convert any of their chances, with Rhian Brewster and James McAtee the most culpable. It meant Sarabia’s goal on the half-hour was decisive and Wolves are now eighth, smelling a chance of European football next season. What a fine job Gary O’Neil has done here.
With Matheus Cunha out injured, there was a greater burden on Pedro Neto to unlock the door for Wolves against Blades’ five-man defence. The Portuguese, who is likely to attract huge offers this summer, sent in one cross that was inches away from Sarabia and put another shot wide.
As early as the ninth minute, Blades goalkeeper Ivo Grbic was dawdling over restarts. ‘Boring, boring,’ taunted the South Bank as they awaited an early goal. The excellent Mario Lemina
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