Sheffield United 3-0 Portsmouth: Blades Show Cutting Edge to Move Out of Bottom Three | OneFootball

Sheffield United made it back-to-back 3-0 victories against ten-man Portsmouth at Bramall Lane on Wednesday evening.

Sydie Peck scored his first goal for the club from the penalty spot after Terry Devlin was sent off for handballing it on the line to deny Japhet Tanganga’s header. In the second half, Patrick Bamford netted his first goal for the club on his full debut when he steered home a corner from close range. And to cap off a good performance, Gustavo Hamer scored a sensational long-range goal in his 30-minute sub appearance.

Lineups

Blades: Cooper, Tanganga, McCallum (Burrows 63), Cannon (Ings 74), O’Hare, Brooks, Mee, Seriki (McGuinness 82), Peck, Riedewald (Soumaré 82), Bamford (Hamer 63)

Unused: A. Davies, Campbell, Oné, Matos.

Portsmouth: Schmid, Knight, Poole, Bishop (Kirk 61), Segečić (Williams 45), Bianchini (Yang Min-Hyeok 74), Kosznovszky (Peck 74), Dozzell, Swanson, Murphy (Chaplin 69), Devlin.

Unused: Bursik, Swift, Matthews, Lang.

First Half

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 26: Sydie Peck of Sheffield United celebrates scoring a penalty to make it 1-0 to his side during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield United and Portsmouth at Bramall Lane on November 26, 2025 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Harriet Massey/Getty Images)

Sheffield United started on the front foot and never really stepped off it, setting the tone with early pressure that forced Portsmouth onto the back foot from the opening whistle. The hosts carved out a flurry of corners, and their bright start almost brought reward when Seriki recycled a free kick smartly, allowing Mee to hold off his marker and create space for Bamford to try his luck from distance.

Another of United’s summer additions, former Crystal Palace midfielder Jairo Riedewald, should have broken the deadlock soon after. Arriving unmarked in the box from a corner, he side-footed a golden opportunity straight at Portsmouth goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid, who gratefully clutched the tame effort.

The breakthrough finally came from a set-piece. Japhet Tanganga powered a thumping header goalward from a corner, only for Devlin to handle on the line. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and sending the Pompey man off.

New arrival Bamford, who joined the Blades earlier this month on a short-term deal, initially took hold of the ball. But in a generous gesture, he handed responsibility to Sydie Peck, who calmly buried the penalty into the bottom corner to put United ahead and score his first-ever goal for the club.

Before the interval, United nearly doubled their lead as Sam McCallum stung Schmid’s palms after linking up neatly with Callum O’Hare down the left, capping off a dominant first-half display.

Second Half

United came flying out after the restart. Their intensity was rewarded in the 54th minute when Bamford reacted quickest in the box, poking home to score his first goal in front of the Kop and give the Blades a deserved two-goal cushion.

Bamford made way on 63 minutes for Gustavo Hamer, who was making just his second appearance since returning from a knee injury. And the midfielder wasted little time reminding supporters what they had been missing. Ten minutes after coming on, Hamer cut inside from the left and curled a stunning effort into the top corner from outside the box.

Late on, Danny Ings replaced Cannon as United continued to push for more. Brooks and Hamer both saw efforts denied, and Ings thought he had capped his cameo with his first Blades goal, only for the assistant referee’s flag to cut the celebrations short.

With this win the Blades now move out of the bottom three and they look to continue their form when they travel to Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.