Sheffield United 3-2 Bolton Wanderers: Blades Clinch All Three Points in Injury Time | OneFootball

Sheffield United secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday night, courtesy of a dramatic 93rd minute winner from Romelle Donovan.

Having twice fallen behind to newly promoted teams, Chris Wilder’s side displayed tremendous resilience, instantly replying to both setbacks before snatching their first win of the season. The match was a chaotic affair from the first whistle, with recent additions Ben Brereton Diaz and Hamza Choudhury making their full debuts.

Lineups

Blades: Cooper, McCallum (Norrington-Davies 86), Tanganga, Choudhury, Donovan, Brereton Diaz (Shackleton 80), Campbell (Cannon 61), McGuinness, Peck (Arblaster 61), Riedewald (Phillips 61), Bamford.

Unused: Davies, Doherty, Rothwell, Baptiste.

Bolton: Bonham, Forino, Simons (Erhahon 90), Davies, Sheehan, Dalby, Gale (Nelson 81), Famewo (Conway 81), Iling-Junior, Larrazabal (Brunt 45), McAtee (Rodrigues 76).

Unused: Bazunu, Dong, Toal, Hardie.

First Half

The visitors stunned Bramall Lane immediately, taking the lead with just 23 seconds on the clock, and during the Blades fans singing of the Greasy Chip Butty. Thierry Gale broke down the left flank and advanced into the area before firing a shot that was blocked, allowing Xavier Simons to seize the rebound and hook the ball into the net.

However, United’s response was almost instant. In the fourth minute, Sydie Peck delivered an inviting free-kick that captain Japhet Tanganga perfectly glanced into the far corner past Jack Bonham to restore parity.

The Blades proceeded to dominate large spells of the opening period and went agonisingly close to taking the lead. Tyrese Campbell got the better of former Blade, Ben Davies and picked out Patrick Bamford, but Bolton defender Chris Forino produced a miraculous goal-line clearance to deny him a tap-in. Bamford also dragged a shot wide following a low cross from full debutant Brereton Diaz, while Peck saw a fierce attempt go just over the crossbar.

At the other end, John McAtee saw an effort blocked by Mark McGuinness inside the six-yard box, keeping the match level at the break.

Second Half

Bolton emerged brightly after the restart, with Michael Cooper forced into an excellent save to push Gale’s low drive wide of the post.

The visitors eventually reclaimed the lead in the 67th minute. Gale was the provider once again, floating a superb cross towards the back post where Sam Dalby climbed highest between defenders to power a header past Cooper.

True to the established chaotic nature of the match, the blades hit back within 60 seconds. Following a flick-on from substitute Tom Cannon, Sam McCallum drove down the left side and picked out Bamford, who stabbed the ball into the net at the second attempt at close range, stunning the still celebrating Bolton fans for the 2nd time.

Bolton continued to push, with Cooper making a crucial save to turn McAtee’s downward header onto the crossbar, while Josh Sheehan and Sam Iling-Junior also drew smart saves from the United keeper.

But it was United who landed the final, devastating blow. Deep into the third minute of added time, substitute Kalvin Phillips released Donovan with a superb pass in midfield. The winger surged into the penalty area and unleashed a strike into the roof of the net, sealing a vital win for Sheffield United.

The Blades face Norwich on Saturday at Bramall Lane, and will be looking to make it consecutive wins at home.