Sheffield United's draw with West Brom felt like a loss, admits Chris Wilder
Chris Wilder has conceded Sheffield United’s 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion felt like a loss.
After last week’s 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers, Wilder made it clear a top-six finish was the aim for the Blades.
However, an opportunity was squandered as they were held to a draw by relegation-threatened West Brom.
An own goal from George Campbell gave Sheffield United the lead seven minutes into the second half, but the defender popped up at the other end to draw level late on.
Chris Wilder’s admission
Wilder said: “It’s the business end of the season and you need your best performances. West Brom deserved the point. If I was their manager I would have been disappointed if we didn’t come away with anything.
“It feels like a loss today and we have to accept that. We were not at our best and we didn’t find a way to win the game, which is a quality you need if you want to be around the top of the division come the end of the season.”
Performance analysis
Sheffield United enjoyed the lion’s share of possession at Bramall Lane but James Morrisons’ Baggies showed aggression the hosts could not match.
Wilder said: “We were very loose in the first half. It was a stop and start sort of game. We never connected, too many heavy touches and we were forcing play.
“West Brom sat off us and we had to find a way to break them down. It’s tough when there are a lot of bodies to get through, but we lacked urgency.
“In the second half, West Brom were more aggressive in their press and we were negative in too many situations. We went backwards and sideways so we ended up trying to play forward from deeper positions.
“We showed a little bit of quality and got that first goal, but we need to have enough about us to see it out or go and get that second goal. We’ve missed too many big chances.
“The goal we conceded is a really poor one. We’ve not done enough to stop the shot and they end up scoring from a speculative effort.”