Sheffield United overcame Brighton and Hove Albion by a single goal, despite having two ruled out after VAR reviews, to move up to fifth in the Premier League table. It was an utterly dominant display by Chris Wilder’s men who appeared the more established Premier League side despite Saturday’s opponents having been in the top-flight for three seasons. One of the Blades’ star men was Enda Stevens on the left side of a five-man backline.
The Irishman, along with Chris Basham and Jack O’Connell, was imperious in defence and the trio were responsible for 27 defensive contributions between them as they shut the door on the Seagulls. Stevens contributed five tackles, pressing Brighton into areas where he could pinch the ball having used the left touchline as an extra defender. He also made a further interception and clearance in what was a remarkable display of defensive discipline by the Blades.
Though Stevens’ passing left a little to be desired, that is to do with the direct vertical transitions that Sheffield used against Saturday’s opponents. He made just 19 passes, with a lowly 73.7 per cent accuracy, but his high-risk efforts were essential to the way Oli McBurnie and David McGoldrick played upfront. Proof of the fact that his passes were critical to the way Sheffield United played was that despite having made so few, two of them created chances for teammates, meaning one in every 9.5 passes was key. Furthermore, he had a 100 per cent crossing accuracy finding his intended target from wide areas.
Stevens left the attacking to the players in front of him. Unlike sides such as Wolves who utilise Adama Traore as a wing-back in a five-man defence, Sheffield United’s wide defenders do not spend much of the game charging forwards. Instead, Stevens sat back and made sure if the ball was overturned there was an impenetrable wall in front of Graham Potter’s men. It worked to devastating effect and the Seagulls rarely threatened Dean Henderson in the Blades goal, thanks to performances like the one from Stevens at left-back in a vital victory for Wilder’s men.
