Chris Wilder Makes “Incredible” Remark After Sheffield United Narrowly Lose With Nine Men | OneFootball

Sheffield United were left to rue a remarkable afternoon at The Valley as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Charlton Athletic, despite producing a spirited display with just nine men.

The Blades burst out of the blocks and could have taken the lead within the opening minutes. Patrick Bamford found himself well placed inside the penalty area and went to ground under pressure, but referee Oliver Langford waved away strong appeals for a spot-kick, much to United’s frustration.

Bamford was soon back in the thick of the action as United pressed aggressively from the front. Andre Brooks won possession high up the pitch and fed Callum O’Hare, whose clever through-ball released Bamford, only for Charlton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski to produce a fine save.

United continued to carve out chances. On 15 minutes, O’Hare once again split the home defence with a perfectly weighted pass to send Tom Cannon clean through on goal, but Kaminski stood tall, spreading himself to block Cannon’s low effort with his feet.

The visitors’ pressure showed no sign of easing. Tyler Bindon glanced Sam McCallum’s corner just wide with a firm header, before Brooks teed up Femi Seriki down the right. His low cross fizzed across the six-yard box with several United shirts queuing up for a tap-in, but Kaminski reacted sharply to gather at the second attempt.

The match turned on its head midway through the first half. Soumaré was shown a straight red card after catching Knibbs late on the ankle, a decision that dramatically altered the contest. United’s task became even tougher deep into stoppage time when Tanganga was also dismissed, leaving the Blades to face the second half with just nine men.

Charlton took advantage after the break by introducing new signing Lyndon Dykes, and he made an instant impact. With his first touch in Addicks colours, Dykes nodded Gillesphey’s delivery into the path of Sonny Carey, who smashed an emphatic volley past Michael Cooper to give the hosts the lead.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, United refused to fold and continued to compete with courage and organisation, pushing Charlton all the way to the final whistle.

Chris Wilder Expresses Pride For Sheffield United’s Performance Despite Defeat

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 17: Japhet Tanganga of Sheffield United interacts with Referee Oliver Langford after teammate El Hadji Djibril Soumare (not pictured) is shown a red following a challenge on Harvey Knibbs of Charlton Athletic (not pictured) during the Sky Bet Championship match between Charlton Athletic and Sheffield United at The Valley on January 17, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by James Fearn/Getty Images)

After the match, Blades boss Chris Wilder was full of praise for his side’s efforts. “I fancied it at eleven versus ten,” Wilder said to SUTV. “It may be a little bit more difficult when it was down to nine, but we still had a go. I thought the shape of the team was great. The amount of effort that the boys put in was incredible.”

Wilder highlighted the adversity his side faced, adding: “Losing Tyler [Bindon] at half-time, he was ill and sick, and then having to play Ben Mee who’s not played a lot of football, with Sam [McCallum] at centre-half against Leaburn and Dykes, was an outstanding effort. The contributions from everyone were incredible.”

The United manager also reflected on the wider picture, praising both performances and the growing bond with supporters. “The play over the last two or three games has been super. Stoke away was outstanding, Leicester at home we never gave them an opportunity to breathe, and we never gave Charlton an opportunity.

“I’ve managed over 300 games for this football club, and that’s right up there in terms of how I feel about this football club, our supporters, and our players. You can see now there is an unbelievable connection. The supporters are seeing that this group of players are giving absolutely everything.”

Despite defeat and losing players to suspension, Sheffield United should still feel confident as they head into the away fixture against Southampton on Wednesday night.