Chris Wilder hails 'great' Sheffield United display against Birmingham City and addresses Tommy Doyle dismissal
Chris Wilder lauded a “perfect response” from his Sheffield United players following their 3-0 win over Birmingham City.
Sheffield United’s boss had read the riot act following their lacklustre away defeat to West Bromwich Albion last week.
He demanded a response against the Blues and got one as the Blades cruised to victory.
Tyler Bindon opened the scoring before Gustavo Hamer and Patrick Bamford got in on the act.
Chris Wilder’s verdict
Wilder said: “I’m really pleased with how we played today. That first half especially was really impressive and I couldn’t have asked for much more from my players.
“I always say the next game is your biggest opportunity to make things right and I think that was a perfect response to last Friday.”
Birmingham were reduced to 10 men after just 18 minutes when former Blades loanee Tommy Doyle saw red for a reckless challenge.
Chris Wilder on Tommy Doyle
Wilder said: “We have a lot of respect for Tommy for what he did here and I think the red card was just a bit of frustration because the game wasn’t going the way they wanted.
“Playing against 10 men can be dangerous; sometimes the home side are expected to cruise through it but you can lose focus and slip up.
“The sending off did actually make it easier for us though. We didn’t take any risks, we kept at a high standard, we were smart in our play and we moved the ball well.
“We knew this would be a difficult game, Birmingham are a good side who can compete at the top end of the table but we didn’t give them any opportunity to get into the game.
“It was a great performance today and the players need to take all the credit for it. I’d like to wish the Blades fans a merry Christmas and hopefully we can reward them for their terrific support with a positive performance on Boxing Day.”