Chris Wilder: Luck was against Sheffield United again in Brentford defeat

Posted Sunday, April 14, 2024 by PA

Chris Wilder felt luck was against Sheffield United again after they were shoved another step closer to the Championship by a 2-0 defeat at Brentford.

Mikkel Damsgaard’s cross was turned into his own net by teenager Oliver Arblaster for the game’s crucial opening goal.

Substitute Frank Onyeka slid in a second with time ticking down on both the match and the Blades’ stay in the Premier League.

Another defeat – their 22nd of the season – leaves them 10 points adrift of safety with only six games remaining.

To rub salt in the wounds from a chastening campaign, Sheffield United found out this week that a two-point deduction awaits them upon their now almost-inevitable drop into the Championship.

“I don’t think there was a lot in the game tactically, our shape was good out of possession,” said Wilder.

“For clubs in our position, to get to 0-0 at half-time is an achievement and it wasn’t a backs-to-wall first half.

“My disappointment is we tried to score with our first attack and if we’d got the first goal, it would have been a different game.

“We felt we could make it a nervous afternoon for Brentford. You could sense the relief from them.

“The first goal is a counter-attack, Ollie gets back into position, a wicked deflection and it goes flying in. Yet again it’s something that goes against us.”

A first win in 10 significantly eased any lingering worries Brentford had of being sucked into trouble.

They had a goal disallowed either side of Arblaster’s unfortunate opener, with Mathias Jorgensen offside when he poked in Mathias Jensen’s free-kick and a Damsgaard volley ruled out for a foul by Nathan Collins on Ollie McBurnie.

So the relief was palpable when Onyeka struck from a half-cleared throw-in to secure a much-needed victory.

It was one achieved without Ivan Toney, who was on the bench for the second match running and this time not required as a substitute.

“Happy and relieved,” was boss Thomas Frank’s immediate reaction. “I just said to the players, please don’t do that to me or themselves again – to not win in nine.

“That spell and this season is a reminder this league is brutal, relentless, the best and toughest league in the world.

“I’d been optimistic. We have great players, a great squad and then that hits you. But it’s a good win, a good performance – not through the roof – and I think it was well deserved.

“We got some luck from the first goal but we were due a bit.”