"We need a win on Friday": Sheffield United's automatic promotion in the balance after Plymouth loss
Blades slipped five points behind joint leaders Leeds and Burnley with four games remaining.
Last updated 14th Apr 2025
Sheffield United's hopes of automatic promotion hang in the balance, after a third straight Championship defeat over the weekend saw them slip to third,
Muhamed Tijani scored an 88th-minute winner after in-form Ryan Hardie - with nine goals in his last 11 games - cancelled out Jesurun Rak-Sakyi's 44th minute opener.
That boosted Plymouth's survival hopes, while Blades slipped five points behind joint leaders Leeds and Burnley with four games remaining.
United boss Chris Wilder bemoaned his side's profligacy and felt a second goal would have wrapped up the points.
Wilder said: "The biggest message was to go and be clinical. We did what we needed to do in getting the first goal.
"We dealt with the throw-ins and set pieces.
"The first goal goes in, and that quietens the home crowd down. But to go and get the second goal would have killed the game.
"We never really showed the quality we should be showing at the top end of the pitch. We should have scored when Tyrese (Campbell) was through.
"They found a winner. Their lad does brilliant with that cross in from in front of the dugout.
"We had to go and get the second goal. At any level one goal is never enough.
"We got to 75 minutes I never felt there was a goal coming. That's not arrogance. Coops (Michael Cooper) didn't have much to do. We were in control of the game.
"From their point of view it's a massive victory. From our point of view it's a massive disappointment - three defeats in a week.
"We couldn't have had a worse week in terms of results.
"Players have to pick themselves up and that's what I was talking about in the huddle afterwards.
"We have not been good enough in the last three games. I don't think it's pressure or nerves. We are just not finding big enough moments.
"We need a big week now when we get back in on Monday. We can't afford to lose three on the spin if we want to be in amongst it.
"We need a win on Friday to get that feeling back inside us."