FA Cup tie let down and Chris Wilder did not see the sunny side - final word on Sheffield United's exit to Brighton

He had just witnessed his Sheffield United side concede five goals in a game where there were sixteen minutes of stoppage time. A game where there was not a bad tackle.

It was not the above which really narked the Blades manager, who made his debut for the club versus Brighton in a tie at Bramall Lane in January 1987.

The performance of referee Sunny Singh Gill certainly did on an occasion that Wilder will not look back at with fondness.

Four VAR checks - a couple of which were annoyingly lengthy - tested the patience of all and sundry.

‘Ger’on wi’it’ cried some exasperated Unitedites after the pedants at Stockley Park checked and checked whether there was an offside in the build-up to their side’s equaliser to make it 2-2 at the end of the first half. It was impossible not to concur.

The long pauses disrupted the flow of an eminently watchable cup tie - like those bothersome breaks at a particularly key part of a TV film.

On those nagging delays for decisions to be made, Wilder said: "You do get into that stage where you don’t know where it’s at (VAR checks). With the second penalty, you didn’t realise it was handball until you get back inside your dug-out and you look back at the monitor…

"With the speed of it all, it takes away everything what the game is good for and associated with, as we all know.”

And on Singh Gill, the Blades boss continued: "Yet again, we are a test case for a referee out of the Football League in refereeing our game.

"I thought he made some terrible decisions and I wasn’t too impressed from the off…”

In his two spells managing United, Wilder has often remarked that if his side are to lose, they must do so by ‘going out by the front door and not the back’.

To their credit, his side didn’t go quietly. Even after Joao Pedro - a player whom Wilder briefly worked with at Watford last season - rifled home a low drive to complete his hat-trick and make it 4-2 to Brighton midway through the second half, United didn’t clock off.

After substitute Danny Welbeck netted a fifth for the visitors in the seventh minute of stoppage-time – when his shot flew underneath debutant Ivo Grbic -there was still time for another replacement in James McAtee to rattle the woodwork with a shot.

There were things to learn from, that said, against a Brighton side who you cannot drop your guard against. They return for a league game on February 18.

Wilder spoke of Albion being among the top three most difficult sides to play against in the country, given their ability to pick teams off and he had a point.

By and large, United chose their moments when to press well enough and were not repeatedly dissected.

A concession of five goals might hint that they were, but ultimately that was down to some self-inflicted indiscretions.

Two arrived from Jayden Bogle which resulted in penalties. Just before the half hour, he got on the wrong side of Pedro, although contact looked minimal.

Early in the second half, he raised an arm when challenging Evan Ferguson. On both occasions, after VAR checks, Pedro sent Grbic the wrong way.

Brighton led on 14 minutes thanks to a gorgeous long-ranger from Rosario-born Facundo Buonanette. He scored the sort of goal that Lionel Messi would have been proud of and one that another of the Argentinian city’s most famous sons in Marcelo Bielsa would have appreciated.

It did not stop Wilder from pointing out that Buonanette had drifted past one of his midfielders in Oli Norwood too easily in the build-up.

In keeping with the tone of the day, United were not cowed. Last-ditch defensive blocks soon denied Will Osula and Gus Hamer.

Pedro’s first penalty intensified the pain, but Osula and Hamer came back for more.

Hamer slammed home a rebound after Osula’s cross was parried and Osula soon headed in Bogle’s cross for his third FA Cup goal in two games.

In the cup scoring stakes, it ultimately proved to be Pedro’s day. His tally in two matches is now up to five.

Sheffield United: Grbic; Bogle, Ahmedhodzic, Trusty, Norrington-Davies (Larouchi 45); Hamer (Souza 76), Norwood, Osborn (Brooks 64); Osula (McBurnie 63), Archer, Brereton Diaz (McAtee 63). Unused substitutes: Foderingham, Robinson, Slimane, Seriki.

Brighton: Verbruggen; Webster, van Hecke, Julio (Dunk 63); Hinshelwood (Lamptey 72), Gilmour (Baleba 84), Gross, Estupinan; Buonanotte (Lallana 72), Ferguson (Welbeck 63), Pedro. Unused substitutes: Steele, Milner, Moder, Baker-Boaitey.

Referee: SS Gill (Middlesex).