Time for me to clock off. Thanks for your company, both on this blog and the earlier one about Bobby Charlton. Here is Dominic Booth’s report from a highly charged occasion.
Asked about Charlton again, Ten Hag struggles to find the words in English but makes all the right noises. He ends up by reverting to his mantra from before the game – “outstanding on the pitch and off it.”
He is also asked about Maguire being player of the match. “I think it was deserved. He played very well.”
Here is Erik ten Hag in his grey roll-neck. “We are happy with the win of course,” he says. “Find a way to win. From the start of the second half we controlled the game.” Why the slow start? “You see it often after the international break. Also Sheffield, lot of energy, played a different system than what we expected. Tough game, you have to play your best, and in the end we needed a great goal.”
Maguire is presented with the match award by Diogo Dalot, who could have won it himself.
Diogo Dalot’s goal against Sheffield United had only 0.03xG.
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) October 21, 2023
What. A. Hit. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/vBl4dnYoaV
Nobody is booing Maguire tonight. A stat box shows Man Utd’s record with and without him starting in the past year: winning 15 games out of 16 with him, 22 out of 42 without. The games Ten Hag gives him do tend to be the easier ones, including a long string of home fixtures in the domestic cups, but that’s not Maguire’s fault.
Harry Maguire talks about Bobby Charlton. “He came into the dressing-room a lot, you could see his aura. He would come in whether we won or lost, he wasn't one of those who just come when you win.
“We’ll miss him, the world will miss him. Our thoughts are with his family.”
On expected goals, it should have been a draw – or a home win. (Assumes the voice of James Alexander Gordon) Sheff Utd 1.4, Man Utd 1.26.
In the table, Sheff U stay rooted to the bottom with one point from nine games and a goal difference of -17. Man Utd, with 15 points from nine, move up to eighth, which may be another tribute to Sir Bobby. It’s where they finished three season in a row in 1970-72, the wobbly spell after the golden years.
Sheff Utd deserved better, but they couldn’t score in open play, and they maintained their bad habit of conceding after the 75th minute. They do have a catalogue of injuries, but then so do Man U.
FULL TIME! Sheff Utd 1-2 Man Utd
And that’s it. Man Utd overcome a poor start to go away with a win in memory of Bobby Charlton, sealed with the sort of goal, from Diogo Dalot, that he scored a hundred times.
90+4 min The free kick leads only to another silly offside – Martial this time.
90+3 min Garnacho, such a reliably sparky sub, wins a free kick out on the left wing.
90+2 min Alan Smith’s player of the match is … Harry Maguire! He’s had a good week.
90+1 min Big miss! Garnacho and Martial combine to fashion a golden chance, but Garnacho manages to be offside when he surely doesn’t need to be, and he misses the target anyway.
Updated
90 min There will be five more minutes. Ten Hag is going ballistic at someone, I’m not sure who.
88 min Traore has come on for Hamer and Sheff Utd have come back into the game. But can they find a goal in open play?
86 min Another Man U counter, another Garnacho sprint, which ends with his shot being saved. And then there’s another shot from him, further out, rattling the side netting.
Rashford goes off and on comes Mason Mount, so Man U may be switching to 4-4-2.
84 min Evans goes off to be replaced by Rapha Varane, the only defender on United’s bench. The free kick leads to come head tennis in Man U’s box before the ball is nonchalantly cleared by Garnacho, passing to himself down the right wing.
82 min Man U pick up their first card as Jonny Evans tries to rescue himself. Instead he seems to have hurt himself, so there’s a delay.
81 min The away fans are singing now. “One Bobby Charlton, there’s only one Bobby Charlton.”
79 min The goal sparks Paul Heckingbottom into his first unforced change. He takes off Jason McAtee, who’s been impressive, and sends on Ben Osborn. There is hope for Sheff Utd, just because Man Utd so often concede just after scoring.
78 min One full-back to another: Lindelof, on the left wing, found Dalot in the D, and he curled a beauty into the top-right-hand corner. That’s the sort of goal Bobby Charlton used to score.
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GOAL! Sheff Utd 1-2 Man Utd (Dalot 77)
And it’s a cracker!
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74 min A spell of possession for Man Utd, with, you guessed it, no end product. The home fans laugh.
69 min “You do feel a goal for Man Utd might be coming,” says Alan Smith. It’s true that they’ve dominated the last ten minutes, but the killer blow seems to be beyond them. And they haven’t got McTominay to finish his fairytale.
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68 min Amrabat hits the post! With a screamer.
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66 min Chance! Hamer goes too high with his shot after an excellent run by McAtee – a Phil Foden jig, coming in from the right and showing lovely control.
64 min Erik ten Hag is making three changes: Eriksen for McTominay, Martial for Hojlund, and Garnacho for Antony, so presumably Rashford will go over to the right.
63 min Maguire sends a long pass forward to Fernandes, who engineers a half-chance for McTominay. He can’t get there, would someone in the process, and is then subbed.
61 min Victor Lindelof has been creeping into midfield from left-back, and now he’s so far forward that he gets caught offside. You could call it dopey, but I’m impressed that Lindelof is playing at all after being so caught up in the awful events in Brussels.
58 min Just wide! From Rashford, left foot, low, crisply struck but not quite accurate enough.
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55 min A mix-up in the Sheff Utd box: Rashford, who could do a Declan Rice, opts to be unselfish and passes to Hojlund, whose shot is saved.
52 min Oli McBurnie is going off, possibly with a knock. At least he scored, after a long drought, with that excellent penalty. He gives way to Rhian Brewster, who immediately takes a fine swerving shot himself. Onana pushes it away and Maguire, by hook or by crook, stops McAtee putting away the rebound.
50 min The second corner sails over everyone and is easily seen out for a throw by Maguire, who seems to be enjoying being back on his old stamping ground.
48 min Close! Norwood’s shot from the D is probably going over but Onana has to palm it to make sure. The resulting corner leads to another corner.
46 min Man Utd kick off but get stuck in their own half. Eventually Lindelof finds Rashford, who runs into traffic in the box. No changes at half-time from either manager.
It keeps happening.
Arsenal scored a minute after United, Bayern scored four minutes after Hojlund and two minutes after Casemiro, Galatasaray scored within four and six minutes of United goals and now Sheffield United have scored six minutes after #mufc went 1-0 up.
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) October 21, 2023
As it stands, Sheff Utd are still bottom, but with twice as many points (two) as they had at 8pm. And Man Utd are up to ninth, one point ahead of Chelsea.
Updated
HALF-TIME! Sheff Utd 1-1 Man Utd
A half of two halves. The first was all Sheffield United, strolling into the box without making it tell. The second was all about Scott McTominay, first grabbing another vital goal, then conceding one by giving away a penalty. Man United are playing better now, but then they could hardly play worse. On this form, they will be marmalised in the Manchester derby.
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45+4 min Some stout defending sees off another Man U attack. A replay shows that Foderingham did really well there, getting a firm right hand to Hojlund’s shot.
“I have to disagree with you on the penalty,” says Mark Gillespie. “McTominay’s arm didn’t come out, the movement was as he tried to pull it away. Compare that with the claim the same referee waved away when Utd played Spurs, and Romero’s arm was outside sideways away from his body, for example. I think we’re getting less consistent, not more, with the handball law.” Maybe we can all agree about that.
45+2 min Save! By Foderingham from Hojlund, who pounced as a shot from Rashford was half-blocked.
45 min Another yellow for Sheffield United as Trusty stops Rashford taking a quick throw-in. There will be six mins of added time.
43 min Fernandes wins a free kick in a promising position… and hits the bar! Foderingham was a spectator.
“McTominay bang! immediately followed by McBurnie boom!?” says Peter Oh. “t’s the All-Scotland Show! Calling Simon McMahon!” Ha.
41 min Chance at the other end! Archer’s shot hits Onana, possibly in the face. It’s end-to-end now.
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39 min Chance! Rasmus Hojlund is so close to his first Premier League goal. Rashford whips in a low cross and Hojlund is about six inches away from poking it in.
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37 min The first card (I think) goes to Luke Thomas, for pulling Antony back as he tried to launch a counter. It’s only Antony, you can let him go.
36 min The atmosphere, which was already lively, is now raucous.
Yet another assist for Fernandes.
Bruno Fernandes has now assisted 35 Premier League goals. That’s as many as Santi Cazorla.
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) October 21, 2023
Magnifico. 🪄 pic.twitter.com/K4TwCi0DDw
GOAL! Sheff Utd 1-1 Man Utd (McBurnie pen 34)
And it’s a very good pen. In off the post, high to Oanana’s left, giving him no chance. The home team deserve that.
Updated
PENALTY! To Sheff U
Conceded by McTominay, of all people. His arm came out, so it seems unlikely to be overturned.
30 min United did finally manage to string together some passes in the final third. Rashford, Lindelof, Fernandes … McTominay! Just where he likes it, 12 yards out, inside-left channel, babble bobbling about: he brings it down and sticks it away, with a little help from a deflection. That’s three in his last two games for United – in fact his last 40 minutes.
GOAL! Sheff Utd 0-1 Man Utd (McTominay 28)
He’s done it again!
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27 min Sheff U almost mess up playing out from the back, but as the ball comes loose Antony is too slow to pounce. He’s been such poor value for money.
25 min Sheffield United have had 35 passes in the final third. Man U have had seven.
23 min A blunder in the Man U midfield, and suddenly Archer is free to line up a long shot. Onana can only parry it, and Dalot has to lump it away from the lurking Hamer.
An email! And it’s a waspish one. “Last time out at home,” says Adam Roberts, “Sheffield United weren’t playing a team with Maguire and Evans at centre-back. At least we won’t need slow-motion replays.”
21 min There’s a break as Onana goes down with a leg injury, though it doesn’t look too bad and he soon carries on. Sheff U have a long throw that leads to a corner.
17 min A decent move from United! Manchester that is. A through ball, from Evans I think, sends Rashford down the left wing. He crosses with his left foot and a header out carries the ball to Antony, who has another go. If the first was 1/10, this is a 2.
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16 min Man U have a shot! But it’s a feeble one, from Antony, cutting in onto his left foot as usual and then playing something more like a pass to Wes Foderingham.
13 min Action areas so far: 51pc the middle, 40pc Man U’s third, 9pc Sheff U’s third. Ten Hag may be tempted to send a sub on before half-time.
Updated
11 min Man U have shown no rhythm at all yet, and now Maguire gives away a free kick 35 yards out with a shove on Archer. But for the second time, Sheff U waste the opportunity.
10 min A stat box reveals that Man U have scored fewer away goals than anyone else in the Premier League: precisely two. In fairness, they had only played three away games before this one.
7 min Another home attack is mopped up by Harry Maguire, who has already had plenty to do as he gets another start next to Jonny Evans, his old mate from Leicester 2018.
5 min Sheffield United are not playing like a team who lost their last home game 0-8.
3 min Chance! Sheff U waltz into the box, as a few teams have lately against Man U, and Archer really should score, but his low shot goes straight into the arms of André Onana.
1 min Sheffield United kick off. They’re in their classic red and white stripes and black shorts. Man U are in stripes too – dark green and white, with white shorts.
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A wreath is laid on the pitch. “Im memory of Sir Bobby.”
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Erik ten Hag is talking, very well, about Bobby Charlton. “So humble, and he achieved so much… A gentleman and a legend.”
Teams in full
Sheffield United (possible 4-2-2-2) Foderingham; Bogle, Trusty, Robinson, Thomas; Norwood, Vinicius Souza; McAtee, Hamer; McBurnie, Archer.
Subs: Amissah, Seriki, Buyabu, Fleck, Osborn, Ben Slimane, One, Brewster, Traore.
Manchester United (possible 4-2-3-1) Onana; Dalot, Maguire, Evans, Lindelof; Amrabat, McTominay; Antony, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund.
Subs: Bayindir, Varane, Eriksen, Mount, Hannibal, Pellistri, Van de Beek, Garnacho, Martial.
Referee Michael Oliver.
Teams in brief
They’re both depleted.
Preamble
Evening everyone and welcome to what could be a very soggy Saturday night at Bramall Lane. And a sombre one, following the death of Sir Bobby Charlton. For more on that, please head for our Charlton live blog; if you’d rather hear about the match, do stay here.
Anybody remember the last time these two teams met? One United were top of the table, the other bottom. It was January 2021, a time of rampant infections and empty grounds. Manchester United had just been on a 14-match unbeaten run in the league and were about to go on another one, but in between they managed to turn a breeze into a banana skin on their own turf. By losing 2-1 to Sheffield United, they handed the top spot to their noisy neighbours, never to regain it.
Man U’s line-up has changed a bit since then (no Matic, no Pogba), but they’re still eminently capable of turning a doddle into a shemozzle. In a season that is going semi-disastrously, they’ve managed to scrape a win four times in five league games against the smaller clubs, including one a month ago that was very like this one – 8pm Saturday, away at a promoted club in the north.
Will their luck hold tonight? Will they be inspired by the black armbands they’ll surely be wearing for Sir Bobby? Or will they be shown up again by Sheffield United, who nearly nicked a point off Man City and would have beaten Spurs if the game had ended after 97 minutes? We’ll soon see. I’ll be back shortly after 7pm BST with the teams.
