“We’ve Got to Take Something…” Blades Chief Offers Assessment As United Suffer Loss Against Saints | OneFootball

Sheffield United suffered back-to-back narrow defeats on Wednesday evening as a deflected early goal condemned them to a frustrating loss away at Southampton.

The hosts made a fast start at St Mary’s and were ahead inside seven minutes. Welington challenged Ki-Jana Hoever down the flank and when the ball broke loose, it was worked into the path of Scienza. The winger showed composure to place his effort beyond Michael Cooper, although the shot took a heavy deflection off the retreating Oliver Arblaster, wrong-footing the Blades goalkeeper as it nestled in the net.

Southampton looked to build on their bright opening and went close to doubling their advantage after 20 minutes. Ross Stewart powered a header towards goal from a corner, but Arblaster made amends for his earlier misfortune by reacting superbly, diving back to hook the ball off the line and keep United in contention.

The Blades grew into the contest but went into the break a goal down. Any concerns about their response were quickly eased after half-time, as Chris Wilder’s side emerged with renewed intensity and purpose. A cleverly worked short corner led to Tom Cannon forcing a save with a header, setting the tone for a sustained spell of pressure.

United continued to threaten from set-pieces. From another delivery, McGuinness rose highest at the back post to meet Sydie Peck’s free kick, only for Southampton goalkeeper Peretz to produce a strong save and push the header away. The pressure mounted, with Southampton increasingly forced onto the back foot.

The clearest chance to level the scores fell to Patrick Bamford in the dying moments following a mix-up between Harwood-Bellis and Jelert. Bamford looked poised to punish the defensive confusion, but Peretz stood firm, spreading himself well to make a vital save and preserve the Saints’ slender lead.

Chris Wilder Reflects on Another Defeat For Sheffield United

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 21: Flynn Downes of Southampton passes as Sheffield United’s Oliver Arblaster closes in during the Sky Bet Championship match between Southampton and Sheffield United at St Mary’s Stadium on January 21, 2026 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

After the game, Chris Wilder gave his assessment to SUTV, insisting his side should have taken something from the contest. “We’ve got to take something from that game, 100%, especially second half,” he said. “First half, we were a little bit leggy and it took us time to get going.

“They started brighter than us, obviously scored a deflected goal to get them in front, and then we were a lot better second half, but we’ve got to get something from the game, even the last five or ten minutes.

“We could possibly win that 3-1 with the chances that we had, but we’ve got to convert those situations. Second half we come out, we won more duels, we passed it better. We didn’t turn it over as much as we did first half and allowed them to dominate.”

Blades Players Being Pushed to the Max

Wilder also highlighted the physical toll on his stretched squad, praising the effort of players operating under difficult circumstances. “There’s a lot of players running on empty, there’s a lot of players that wouldn’t have started,” he admitted. “Sydie and Blaster wouldn’t start, so I’m not going to be critical of them, they’re putting their hands up to play.

“Tom Davies can only do a certain amount of minutes. Obviously, we lost two centre-halves, which has been big for us. We were rushing Ben [Mee] back, so physically it took its toll, but what I will say yet again, as I did Saturday, they went right to the end.”

On United’s lack of cutting edge, Wilder was clear: “It’s no good upping your levels and doing what we did without sticking the ball in the back of the net. We’ve had enough opportunities, more shots than them, more touches in the opposition box.”

The manager also confirmed defensive absences will continue to bite, adding that Tyler Bindon remains sidelined. “No. He’s out for the weekend as well. It’s a big blow losing him and Tanganga.”

Sheffield United host in-form Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon who are unbeaten in their last six Championship games, so the Blades’ stretched squad will again be pushed hard at the weekend.