Sheffield United: Blades injuries cut deep after harsh lesson in Championship

Sheffield United will understand its significance. From backslaps after a magnificent 4-1 midweek win over a play-off rival to a cold slap in the face after defeat by the same scoreline to a side who on this evidence are definitely in the top-six mix with them.

Quite possibly along with the Blades’ next opponents Blackpool.

Saturday was an object lesson in Championship life. If some of your players don’t turn up, you get turned over.

Paul Heckingbottom knew the score beforehand. ‘I like Coventry, they will upset teams,’ he said. His comments were prescient.

The pre-match upset was reserved for Coventry. A team hit by injuries, illness, postponements and suspensions this campaign, City copped a big pre-match blow when Mark Robins and assistant Adi Viveash tested positive for Covid, with first-team coach Dennis Lawrence stepping up.

No matter. Sky Blues, fresh from losing two league matches for the first time this season and then conceding the first goal of a game for the 22nd time this term, delivered their most outstanding performance of 2021-22.

Their attacking display in the second half was imperious. Two-goal Callum O’Hare and Viktor Gyokeres tortured the Blades backline, just as Billy Sharp and Morgan Gibbs-White did to Middlesbrough’s harassed defenders on Tuesday. Funny old game.

Like Coventry, United have had a belly full of disruptions and as concerning as this battering was, it is a crippling injury count which will be giving Heckingbottom more sleepless nights.

“Every time someone goes down, I am thinking: ‘Not again’,” Heckingbottom rued following this bleak afternoon.

It was an allusion to further misfortune on the injury front which saw a substitute substituted – Oli McBurnie being replaced after suffering a ‘dead leg.’

Another player ‘managing an issue’ in Ben Osborn was brought off as a preventative measure. Conor Hourihane, United’s best outfield player on the day, is another being ‘managed.’

United’s number of first-team players unavailable extends into double figures. Their bench on Saturday included two players yet to make their league debut. A third debuted last weekend.

That said, it would be churlish and wrong to say this result was down to injuries and not Coventry’s brilliance going forward. As bad as United were, certainly after the break, the Sky Blues were very, very good.

It was legends day at the CBS Arena. Ex-players were present as the club also paid tribute to former FA Cup winning managers John Sillett and George Curtis, with a programme piece dedicated to a memorable game on that road to glory in 1987, which occurred 35 years ago today.

That came against a Steel City side in Sheffield Wednesday. On its anniversary weekend, City walloped their city rivals. ‘Sheffield get battered everywhere they go’ sang Sky Blues fans with an eye for nostalgia.

Backed by a 4,275 travelling contingent, the game actually started well enough for the Blades before matters unravelled.

Hourihane’s cross on the left was begging to be attacked and with Coventry stretched, Sander Berge nipped in to powerfully head home. All well and good, but Coventry’s response was swift.

On a day when a stiff wind caused issues, Jack Robinson badly misjudged Michael Rose’s punt forward and Gyokeres first announced himself to tuck the ball past Wes Foderingham.

United were never quite the same thereafter with their backline totally spooked by Gyokeres and O’Hare, whose movement destroyed the visitors, while Jamie Allen and Gustavo Hamer controlled the middle ground.

Foderingham made a sharp save to deny Gyokeres and then thwarted Hamer after sublime play by O’Hare and Allen. Kyron Gordon then got in the way of Gyokeres’s goalbound shot and it was akin to an onslaught. It got worse, much worse.

For most of the second half it was a constant barrage as Coventry cut through United like a hot knife through butter. With little on the bench to turn things around and make tactical tweaks, Heckingbottom was helpless.

O’Hare went close before Gyokeres gave Egan the slip down the right and after Foderingham got a touch to his low shot which hit the post, the supporting O’Hare managed to bundle the ball in.

City went for the jugular with Gyokeres creating mayhem down the left to set up the magnificent O’Hare, who finished tidily.

Matty Godden missed a sitter, but then had his goal after cuteness from O’Hare, having the party of all parties. Substitute Martyn Waghorn hit the post late on.

By the final whistle, Foderingham made 11 saves, the most any Championship keeper had mustered in a game since September 2020. City recorded 27 goal attempts and 15 shots on target, both divisional highs in 2021-22.

In the city famed for being the home of legendary ska band The Specials, this was pretty special from Coventry.