Sheffield United’s fairy-tale season continued as two goals from John Fleck saw off Aston Villa and temporarily lifted the Blades to fifth in the Premier League table.
Sheffield United’s finely worked opener came after a pretty poor and uneventful first half. Five minutes after the break, Chris Basham started the move with a back-heel into the path of John Lundstram, who delivered a quality ball for John Fleck who put the hosts in the lead. The Scottish international then doubled the advantage and put the game to bed with a fantastic finish following David McGoldrick’s clever assist.
Villa had their chances and were given a penalty which was awarded following a VAR check for handball. Jack Grealish stepped up and smashed his shot off the bar handing Villa their 10th Premier League defeat of the season.
Fantastic Fleck with two great goals
John Fleck was superb on the day and added two goals to his name, increasing his season’s total to four goals and one assist. Fleck’s first goal came after a really well-worked move down the right. Up to this point in the game, there had been a distinct lack of quality, but it was the Blades who turned up the heat. Chris Basham controlled the ball perfectly before delightfully back heeling the ball to John Lundstram, who put in a ‘Kevin De Bruyne-esque’ ball into the box and Fleck was there to prod home for the opener.
The game had become a little cagey as Aston Villa were fighting to get an equaliser, but Fleck scored his second of the afternoon which put the game to bed. McGoldrick produced an intelligent over the head pass which deceived the entire Villa defence, leaving Fleck 1 v 1 against Heaton and he converted his chance.
Fleck has now scored four goals in his last four league games at Bramall Lane, one more than he managed in his previous 73 in the league on home soil.
Two great goals and a man of the match award for Fleck who will surely have a lot more to say in the Blade’s miracle season.
Aston Villa are flirting with relegation
Villa now have 10 defeats in 17 games and are joint on points in 18th place, it really is crunch time. Dean Smith’s side just couldn’t get a grip of the game, meaning Villa have lost six of their last eight Premier League games – the Claret and Blues just need to do better.
In this case, the stats really do tell the story: Villa were totally bossed in possession having a mere 43% of the ball, whilst they did not even manage a single shot on target during the 90 minutes.
Jack Grealish’s penalty miss added salt to the wounds as it could have sparked a comeback for the visitors. It meant that out of the 16 Premier League sides that have taken a penalty, Aston Villa are the only team not to score a spot-kick.
However, Villa should be aiming high in their next three games. They coincidentally play all the teams bellow them – Southampton, Norwich and Watford – in the space of eight days and should be aiming to pick up points as they look to move away from the bottom three.
Relentless Blades keep their foot on the pedal
A fantastic first half of the season is coming to an end for the Blades and they have been nothing short of exceptional in their return to the Premier League.
Today’s hard-earned win leaves United on 25 points, with another clean sheet meaning that the Blades have the best defensive record outside the top two. The Blades are also unbeaten on the road since 19 January, but their home form – which includes defeats by Southampton and Newcastle – has been variable.
This gritty performance is the perfect preparation to a busy spell of four games in 13 days, which starts with next Saturday’s visit to Brighton; the Blades’ confidence will be sky-high.
What the managers say
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder: “It was a proper second-half performance. It was a cagey first half and I don’t think we had many big opportunities, but I felt it was coming before half-time and we stepped it up in the second half.
“We rode our luck with Jack Grealish missing the penalty, but I think the right result has happened today.”
Aston Villa boss Dean Smith: “Our overall performance wasn’t what I wanted from this group of players. We didn’t cause them enough problems.
“The second goal was a bit of a killer but they probably deserved the win on the day.
Next up
Chris Wilder’s side travel to Brighton next Saturday as they look to continue their unbeaten away record, while Aston Villa play on Tuesday when they host Liverpool in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
