Key events
36 min The atmosphere, which was already lively, is now raucous.
Yet another assist for Fernandes.
GOAL! Sheff Utd 1-1 Man Utd (McBurnie pen 34)
And it’s a very good pen. In off the post, high to Oanana’s left, giving him no chance. The home team deserve that.
PENALTY! To Sheff U
Conceded by McTominay, of all people. His arm came out, so it seems unlikely to be overturned.
30 min United did finally manage to string together some passes in the final third. Rashford, Lindelof, Fernandes … McTominay! Just where he likes it, 12 yards out, inside-left channel, babble bobbling about: he brings it down and sticks it away, with a little help from a deflection. That’s three in his last two games for United – in fact his last 40 minutes.
GOAL! Sheff Utd 0-1 Man Utd (McTominay 28)
He’s done it again!
27 min Sheff U almost mess up playing out from the back, but as the ball comes loose Antony is too slow to pounce. He’s been such poor value for money.
25 min Sheffield United have had 35 passes in the final third. Man U have had seven.
23 min A blunder in the Man U midfield, and suddenly Archer is free to line up a long shot. Onana can only parry it, and Dalot has to lump it away from the lurking Hamer.
An email! And it’s a waspish one. “Last time out at home,” says Adam Roberts, “Sheffield United weren’t playing a team with Maguire and Evans at centre-back. At least we won’t need slow-motion replays.”
21 min There’s a break as Onana goes down with a leg injury, though it doesn’t look too bad and he soon carries on. Sheff U have a long throw that leads to a corner.
17 min A decent move from United! Manchester that is. A through ball, from Evans I think, sends Rashford down the left wing. He crosses with his left foot and a header out carries the ball to Antony, who has another go. If the first was 1/10, this is a 2.
16 min Man U have a shot! But it’s a feeble one, from Antony, cutting in onto his left foot as usual and then playing something more like a pass to Wes Foderingham.
13 min Action areas so far: 51pc the middle, 40pc Man U’s third, 9pc Sheff U’s third. Ten Hag may be tempted to send a sub on before half-time.
11 min Man U have shown no rhythm at all yet, and now Maguire gives away a free kick 35 yards out with a shove on Archer. But for the second time, Sheff U waste the opportunity.
10 min A stat box reveals that Man U have scored fewer away goals than anyone else in the Premier League: precisely two. In fairness, they had only played three away games before this one.
7 min Another home attack is mopped up by Harry Maguire, who has already had plenty to do as he gets another start next to Jonny Evans, his old mate from Leicester 2018.
5 min Sheffield United are not playing like a team who lost their last home game 0-8.
3 min Chance! Sheff U waltz into the box, as a few teams have lately against Man U, and Archer really should score, but his low shot goes straight into the arms of André Onana.
1 min Sheffield United kick off. They’re in their classic red and white stripes and black shorts. Man U are in stripes too – dark green and white, with white shorts.
A wreath is laid on the pitch. “Im memory of Sir Bobby.”
Erik ten Hag is talking, very well, about Bobby Charlton. “So humble, and he achieved so much… A gentleman and a legend.”
Teams in full
Sheffield United (possible 4-2-2-2) Foderingham; Bogle, Trusty, Robinson, Thomas; Norwood, Vinicius Souza; McAtee, Hamer; McBurnie, Archer.
Subs: Amissah, Seriki, Buyabu, Fleck, Osborn, Ben Slimane, One, Brewster, Traore.
Manchester United (possible 4-2-3-1) Onana; Dalot, Maguire, Evans, Lindelof; Amrabat, McTominay; Antony, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund.
Subs: Bayindir, Varane, Eriksen, Mount, Hannibal, Pellistri, Van de Beek, Garnacho, Martial.
Referee Michael Oliver.
Teams in brief
They’re both depleted.
Preamble
Evening everyone and welcome to what could be a very soggy Saturday night at Bramall Lane. And a sombre one, following the death of Sir Bobby Charlton. For more on that, please head for our Charlton live blog; if you’d rather hear about the match, do stay here.
Anybody remember the last time these two teams met? One United were top of the table, the other bottom. It was January 2021, a time of rampant infections and empty grounds. Manchester United had just been on a 14-match unbeaten run in the league and were about to go on another one, but in between they managed to turn a breeze into a banana skin on their own turf. By losing 2-1 to Sheffield United, they handed the top spot to their noisy neighbours, never to regain it.
Man U’s line-up has changed a bit since then (no Matic, no Pogba), but they’re still eminently capable of turning a doddle into a shemozzle. In a season that is going semi-disastrously, they’ve managed to scrape a win four times in five league games against the smaller clubs, including one a month ago that was very like this one – 8pm Saturday, away at a promoted club in the north.
Will their luck hold tonight? Will they be inspired by the black armbands they’ll surely be wearing for Sir Bobby? Or will they be shown up again by Sheffield United, who nearly nicked a point off Man City and would have beaten Spurs if the game had ended after 97 minutes? We’ll soon see. I’ll be back shortly after 7pm BST with the teams.
