Stoke City 2-1 Sheffield United: Long Range Strikes Steal Show And Three Points For The Potters | OneFootball

Sheffield United suffered a 2-1 defeat at the Bet365 Stadium after originally leading Stoke City on Saturday afternoon.

The Blades took the lead when Kalvin Phillips scored his first goal for the Blades when he fired a long range freekick into the bottom corner, catching the Stoke keeper off guard. But the home side quickly reversed things when Jack McGlynn found the top right corner from distance, and then Sam Gallagher volleyed one into the top left corner from 25 yards out to steal all three points.

Lineups

Stoke: Johansson, Johnson, Graham, McGlynn, Galbraith, Cisse (Hirst 64), Devenny (Manhoef 81), Wilmot, Bocat (Bambino 81), Soumare (Gallagher 64), Talovierov (Tchamadeu 64).

Unused: Griffiths, Pearson, Rigo, Gibson.

Blades: Cooper, Arblaster (Cannon 67), Tanganga, Choudhury (Shackleton 80), Kitching, Brereton Diaz (Chong 80), Phillips, Norrington-Davies, Baptiste (Donovan 88), Peck, Bamford (Ayew 80).

Unused: Davies, Doherty, Rothwell, McGuinness.

First Half

United had made a positive start in Staffordshire, with Ben Brereton Díaz seeing an early effort take a deflection and fly behind for a corner.

Liam Kitching came close to making the most of the resulting set-piece, but neither side was able to establish sustained control during a cagey opening period.

Chances remained limited as the first half progressed. United did manage to work the ball into a promising position when Norrington-Davies delivered from the left and Patrick Bamford brought the cross under control inside the area. However, the ball ultimately got away from the striker and rolled comfortably into the hands of Stoke goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.

Second Half

Chris Wilder’s side returned from the interval with greater purpose. Bamford was involved in one of the first promising moves, receiving a forward pass before intelligently laying the ball off into the path of Sydie Peck. The midfielder was unable to keep his effort down, however, sending his shot over the crossbar.

United did not have to wait much longer for their breakthrough. On 51 minutes, the Blades were awarded a free-kick in a position where a delivery into the penalty area appeared the obvious option. Phillips had other ideas. The midfielder opted to go directly for goal, catching Johansson off guard with a low attempt aimed towards the goalkeeper’s near post. His decision paid off as the ball found the back of the net to put United in front.

The visitors continued to look dangerous after taking the lead, although Stoke remained capable of creating moments of their own. Japhet Tanganga produced an excellent piece of defending when Bocat’s header threatened to cause problems inside the six-yard box, with the United defender making an important clearance.

At the other end, the Blades worked another promising attacking move involving Bamford and Phillips before Peck was brought into the action. The ball eventually found Tom Cannon, whose effort was comfortably gathered by Johansson.

Stoke produced a moment of individual brilliance to level proceedings with 11 minutes of normal time remaining. McGlynn picked up possession around 30 yards from goal before deciding to have a go. His effort flew beyond the reach of Michael Cooper and into the top corner, leaving the United goalkeeper with no chance and bringing Stoke level.

The Blades almost responded immediately. Phillips delivered a cross into the danger area which Stoke could only partially clear, with the loose ball dropping to Peck on the edge of the box. The midfielder attempted to restore United’s advantage but could only fire his effort over the crossbar.

But with just four minutes remaining, Stoke completed their comeback with another long-range strike. Ethan Galbraith sent a ball forward towards substitute Sam Gallagher, with the United players appealing for an offside decision. The flag stayed down, allowing Gallagher to bring the ball under control before turning towards goal and shooting in the same movement. His 20-yard effort found the net, completing a remarkable turnaround.