Sheffield United 0-1 Millwall: Blades Lack Cutting Edge Once More As They Slip to Third | OneFootball

Sheffield United suffered back-to-back defeats on Tuesday evening as Millwall kept their Championship play-off dreams alive.

The match-winning goal came from Josh Coburn in the 21st minute as the towering striker spun on the ball inside the penalty area and smashed it beyond a helpless Michael Cooper.

Chris Wilder made zero changes to the starting eleven despite bringing up the fact that it’s a three-game week in the pre-match press conference.

Lineups

Blades: Cooper, Brewster (O’Hare 65), Hamer, Burrows, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Brereton Diaz (Rak-Sakyi 45), Campbell (Cannon 65), Choudhury (Souza 65), Seriki (Holding 73), Peck.

Unused: A. Davies, McCallum, Moore, Brooks.

Millwall: Jensen, Cooper, Mitchell (Wintle 78), Bryan, Leonard, Coburn, De Norre (Saville 73), Cundle (Emakhu 66), Ivanović (Langstaff 73), Honeyman (Harding 78), Crama.

Unused: Roberts, Drake, Kendall, Matthews.

First Half

The game began with promise for both sides. Coburn headed an early free-kick over the bar for Millwall completely unopposed, while United looked bright, with Rhian Brewster coming close from a Hamer corner, his near-post flick drifting just wide.

The breakthrough came in the 21st minute when Billy Mitchell threaded a low cross into the box, which Casper De Norre cleverly helped onto Josh Coburn, who smashed home his fifth league goal of the season to give Millwall perhaps a deserving lead.

United searched for an immediate response. Brereton Diaz forced a save from Millwall stopper Jensen with a header from another Hamer set-piece, but he should’ve buried it.

The home side failed to significantly test the visiting goalkeeper before the break, and perhaps they were denied an opportunity to do so from the penalty spot when Jake Cooper took down Ahmedhodzic in the box.

Second Half

At half-time, United introduced Jesurun Rak-Sakyi for Ben Brereton Diaz, and he nearly made an instant impact, missing a gilt-edged chance from a low Harrison Burrows cross inside 12 yards.

United dominated possession and territory in the second half, with efforts from Peck and Rak-Sakyi, though neither troubled Jensen.

Millwall had a golden opportunity to double their lead when Coburn teed up Ivanovic, who went one-on-one with the keeper, but he fired his shot straight at Cooper when clean through, choosing to connect first-time rather than taking a touch to steady himself.

United continued to press, with Rak-Sakyi seeing a shot deflected wide and Burrows denied at the near post. A strike from the edge of the box from substitute Tom Cannon tested Jensen after being tee’d up perfectly by Robinson.

The final notable chance again fell to Rak-Sakyi, who did his best to wrap his foot around a squirming ball from close range, but a heroic block denied it from finding the bottom corner.

After being top of the league with their own destiny in their hands, Sheffield United now find themselves in third, two points behind both Leeds United and Burnley, who both hold a far superior goal difference over the Blades.