Sheffield United claimed a vital 1-0 win over fellow Championship promotion chasers West Brom on Saturday. A first half goal from Kieran Dowell was enough to see the Blades give themselves some breathing space ahead of the Baggies at the top end of the league.
The on-loan Everton midfielder nodded home smartly after a lovely cut back from Martin Cranie, looping his header delightfully into the far corner. It was his first goal for the Blades since joining in January.
United then did excellently to control the game for the remainder of the match. They generally kept West Brom at arms length and managed to keep a clean sheet, something of a rarity against the Baggies this season, who have been in fine goalscoring form.
The result saw the Blades keep their spot in the automatic promotion places ahead of Leeds on goal difference. It also saw them put a four-point gap between them and their opponents, who remain in fourth place.
Lineups
West Brom played a 4-3-3 on Saturday, as they have often done over the past few months. Jay Rodriguez was flanked up front by Matt Phillips and Dwight Gayle, with Gareth Barry coming back into the midfield. Rekeem Harper was also given the nod in midfield.
Rodriguez was, however, somewhat lacking in service throughout the match. He only managed 33 touches in the entire game while his goalkeeper, every defender and Gareth Barry all managed 60 or more. The Baggies were largely restricted to backwards and sideways passes by United’s solid shape.
Sheffield United, meanwhile, went with their unique 3-4-1-2 formation. Injuries saw a change in personnel at the back, however, with Martin Cranie and Enda Stevens filling in at centre-back alongside John Egan.
Kieran Dowell was in ahead of Mark Duffy in the number 10 role, with the experienced midfielder being rested. The youngster certainly justified his selection, heading home the winner and putting in what was arguably a man-of-the-match performance. He managed a pass success rate of 83%.
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