Sheffield United Boss Shares “Incredibly Disappointing” Reaction as Wrexham Bag Five Against Blades | OneFootball

Sheffield United threw away vital points on Boxing Day as they suffered a dramatic 5-3 defeat away at Wrexham despite holding a commanding early lead.

The Blades made the perfect start, opening the scoring inside seven minutes. A slick passage of play between Tahith Chong and Oliver Arblaster carved Wrexham open before the ball was worked wide to Femi Seriki. The wing-back delivered a pinpoint cross, which Patrick Bamford met with a deft flick to guide the ball into the corner and give United the lead.

United doubled their advantage soon after, albeit with a slice of fortune. A fizzed cross towards the far post, initially met by Josh Windass, was steered into his own net by Tyler Bindon, leaving the hosts stunned.

Wrexham barely had time to regroup before United struck again. Showing impressive composure, the Blades were back in front by the 15th minute. Once more it was Seriki providing the ammunition, whipping in a dangerous delivery from the right. Bamford reacted quickest inside the area, converting from close range to claim his second goal of the evening and put United 3-1 ahead.

Despite the deficit, Wrexham remained a threat. Former Blade Kieffer Moore came agonisingly close to pulling one back when his goalbound header was nodded off the line by Arblaster. United, however, looked capable of extending their lead further and almost did so before the interval. Bamford slipped Chong in behind the defence, but from a tight angle the winger’s low effort was well saved.

The hosts did manage to reduce the deficit before half-time. Thomason’s corner picked out Moore, whose powerful header flew into the back of the net to make it 3-2 and give Wrexham renewed belief heading into the break.

Blades Suffer Second Half Collapse

WREXHAM, WALES – DECEMBER 26: Kieffer Moore of Wrexham scores his team’s fourth goal whilst under pressure from Japhet Tanganga of Sheffield United during the Sky Bet Championship match between Wrexham AFC and Sheffield United at Racecourse Ground on December 26, 2025 in Wrexham, Wales. (Photo by Jess Hornby/Getty Images)

The second half began in dramatic fashion, and United’s advantage quickly evaporated. Just six minutes after the restart, Thomason was again the provider, delivering a cross that was met by Longman, who headed home to level the scores at 3-3.

Wrexham completed the turnaround with 14 minutes remaining. Broadhead teed up his Welsh teammate Moore, who kept his composure to slot home and put the hosts ahead for the first time in the match.

The decisive moment arrived soon after in controversial circumstances. Bindon was adjudged to have fouled Thomason inside the area despite minimal contact. Windass stepped up and converted the resulting penalty emphatically, sealing a remarkable comeback and putting the game beyond United.

Chris Wilder Shares His “Incredibly Disappointing” Reaction As Sheffield United Throw Away Vital Points

After the match, Blades boss Chris Wilder did not hide his frustration, pointing to defensive frailties and poor game management as the key factors behind the collapse.

“We’ve not dealt with Kieffer [Moore], we’ve not dealt with the front three, we’ve not dealt with the game management aspects,” Wilder said to SUTV in his post-match reaction. “We’ve created enough, scored three away from home and had another couple that we possibly should score with Chongy just before half-time to make it 4-2.

“The timing of the first goal is poor. We don’t deal with the situation at the back post and then the second one, detail in terms of picking Kieffer up in the box. Just before that, we come out of a situation and we play a ball right into the middle of the park where they’ve got three midfield players waiting. We knew there was going to be chaos and we had to be calm, and we weren’t.

“Timing of the third goal, just after half-time, was incredibly disappointing. We were okay going the other way and created stuff, but we never dealt with their front three, and especially never dealt with Kieffer.

“We knew they’d come out with energy; home crowd, Boxing Day and everything that goes with that. We quietened the crowd early by getting the first goal, but from our point of view their first goal is a really poor one. We just have to defend the back stick better. The second goal, for me, decided the journey of the game.”

United will travel to Stoke City on Monday night as they look to get their away form back on track after losing their last two trips.