Leeds United and Burnley will love Sheffield United concern raised on Saturday | OneFootball

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder's comments after Saturday's win over Portsmouth will delight Leeds United and Burnley.

It is shaping up to be an incredibly competitive battle for automatic promotion in the Championship between Sheffield United, Leeds United, Burnley and, of course, Sunderland.

The Black Cats are the main outlier as a club back on the rise. Sheffield United and Burnley are both aiming to make an immediate return to the Premier League after being relegated from the top flight last season, while Leeds are looking to bounce back after suffering heartbreak as they were beaten by Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley in May.

The Whites are currently leading the way at the top of the table, with the Blades sitting just two points behind them in second place, but the third-placed Clarets are unbeaten in their last 18 league games and are keeping the pressure firmly on those above them.

Sunderland have been on the fringes of the automatic promotion race for much of the season, but the Black Cats dropped two crucial points as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Watford on Saturday, and it looks a tall order for them to break into the top two if this relentless pace continues.

With Leeds and Burnley both in FA Cup action at the weekend, Sheffield United took full advantage as they moved back into second with a 2-1 win over Portsmouth at Bramall Lane, hitting back after midweek wins for their rivals, but the result papered over the cracks of an underwhelming performance.

Chris Wilder slams Sheffield United display despite Portsmouth victory

Many expected Sheffield United to secure a routine victory over a relegation-threatened Portsmouth side who have struggled away from home this season, but that certainly did not prove to be the case, with John Mousinho's men causing the hosts plenty of problems.

That was not lost on Wilder after the game, and despite watching his side pick up all three points, the Blades manager tore into his players for their performance, warning they must do better if they are to achieve their automatic promotion ambitions.

"I don’t think we deserved anything from the game," Wilder told The Star.

"We were second best all over the park but it’s a cut-throat industry that we’re in. We’ll have a big review of the game, reflect and quickly get over it.

"I’m taking it back a little bit, and half the people who read your stuff won’t know about it. Sir Alex Ferguson when they won a cup final against Rangers and had a right pop at his players. I’m not quite to that extent and we haven’t won a cup but we need to be better.

"We should have been two or three down first half; we defended really poorly, individually and as a unit. If they were more clinical they’d have put us to bed.

"The second half was a bit better, we had the luxury to change it around which we haven’t before and bringing on Rhian and Jes and Sydie [Peck] gave us a bit of life and a spark.

"As I’ve said before, in a season there are 10 or 15 games you play really well. Some more when you play okay to well, and there are a handful where you think: ‘How have we got something from that game?’

"And I think that’s today. In the second half the amount of free-kicks we gave away was absolutely frightening. It was unrecognisable. Some of the decisions we made were baffling.

"I’ve been brought up to be honest and tell the truth, there have been spin managers all over the place, that look and see a completely different game. But the supporters wouldn’t enjoy me trying to spin that, so I won’t.

"We were second best, didn’t deserve anything from the game. And we have to be so much better going down the stretch if we want to achieve what we want to."

Chris Wilder's Sheffield United comments will delight Leeds United and Burnley

While Wilder's comments may seem a little harsh, there is no doubt that Sheffield United were incredibly fortunate to come away from the game against Portsmouth with a victory, with Colby Bishop, Callum Lang, Connor Ogilvie and Josh Murphy all missing golden chances for the visitors.

The Blades have won their last two games since suffering a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at home to Hull City last month, but in terms of performances, Wilder will be concerned that he has not seen the kind of response he would have hoped for, and should his side continue to play at their current level, it will be difficult for them to maintain their place in the top two.

In United's defence, one of the hallmarks of promotion-winning teams is to still manage to pick up points even when not playing well, and while Leeds have been dominant for much of the campaign, Burnley's performances at times this season have left a lot to be desired, with the Clarets seriously struggling in front of goal.

However, Wilder's decision to publicly criticise his players - an approach that neither Daniel Farke nor Scott Parker have taken this season - has piled the pressure on the Blades ahead of their tricky home game against Middlesbrough on Wednesday night.

Boro are one of only five teams to have beaten United this season, with Michael Carrick's men recording a 1-0 victory at the Riverside Stadium back in October, and while they have been inconsistent of late, they are certainly capable of causing an upset at Bramall Lane.

There is no reason for the Blades to panic at this stage, and they remain in an incredibly strong position in the table, but there is no doubt that their performance against Portsmouth on Saturday was alarming.

Wilder will be keen to ensure that there is no repeat of that display between now and the end of the season, but his damning comments will not have gone unnoticed by Leeds and Burnley, and they will be determined to capitalise on any potential slip-ups from United.