Sheffield United 0 Hull City 0: Rivals frustrated in Bramall Lane stalemate

Hull City frustrated the life out of Sheffield United at Bramall Lane last night.
Sheffield Unted’s Jack Robinson reacts as his shot goes wide of Hull City’s goal during the Championship match at Bramall Lane. Picture: Andrew Yates/SportimageSheffield Unted’s Jack Robinson reacts as his shot goes wide of Hull City’s goal during the Championship match at Bramall Lane. Picture: Andrew Yates/Sportimage
Sheffield Unted’s Jack Robinson reacts as his shot goes wide of Hull City’s goal during the Championship match at Bramall Lane. Picture: Andrew Yates/Sportimage

Playing against an out-of-form side whose ambitions looked limited at times, the Blades created plenty of chances with the toes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Illiman Ndiaye twinkling but whoever they fell to just could not put them away.

Striker Oli McBurnie missed five good chances as his team had 71 per cent of the ball, 22 shots and 12 corners but crucially no goals.

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The Tigers did their best to add to the frustration, lingering over restarts to the annoyance of the three agitated coaches in the home technical area, and the anxiety during the second quarter of the game where, with Keane Lewis-Potter to the fore, they carved out chances of their own to keep the hosts honest.

Hull City's Tom Eaves (left) attempts a header at goal. Picture: PAHull City's Tom Eaves (left) attempts a header at goal. Picture: PA
Hull City's Tom Eaves (left) attempts a header at goal. Picture: PA

After 68 minutes, the Blades even brought on their master finisher. Billy Sharp, to show the rest how it was done. At 26 they would need to rest him from time to time with the schedule they have, but at 36 it is essential not to rely too heavily on him.

They brought on Sander Berge too, the frustratingly mercurial midfielder who has not bossed the Championship as he ought to and the Norwegian won a couple of unconverted corners in his 11-minute run-out.

In the end, though, they could not break Hull’s stubborn resistance. Paul Heckingbottom’s side have not conceded in three games but have not scored in two.

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Having given the play-off contenders a healthy headstart under Slavisa Jokanovic, they are stuttering when they need to be building a head of steam. Hull have stemmed the bleeding of three straight defeats. For them it was mission accomplished.

A missed chance for United's Oli McBurnie. Picture: Andrew Yates / SportimageA missed chance for United's Oli McBurnie. Picture: Andrew Yates / Sportimage
A missed chance for United's Oli McBurnie. Picture: Andrew Yates / Sportimage

Even with the flow disrupted by Lewie Coyle going off with an injury and Richie Smallwood and Marcuss Forss receiving lengthy treatment for blood injuries which required new shirts, it was an entertaining first half.

United dominated the early stages but the Tigers warmed to their task and both sides will have gone in at half-time wondering how they had not scored.

Jack Robinson was the first shaking his head, in the 10th minute, after putting Oliver Norwood’s deep free-kick wide of the target with it.

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Two minutes late Smallwood produced a heroic block to stop Conor Hourihane hitting the target.

Unted's Jack Robinson heads the ball ahead of Marcus Forss of Hull City. Sheffield. Picture: Andrew Yates / SportimageUnted's Jack Robinson heads the ball ahead of Marcus Forss of Hull City. Sheffield. Picture: Andrew Yates / Sportimage
Unted's Jack Robinson heads the ball ahead of Marcus Forss of Hull City. Sheffield. Picture: Andrew Yates / Sportimage

Whereas the home side’s best crosses of the half came from deep, Hull tended to take a different approach once Lewis-Potter, playing wide in a Hull 4-2-3-1, stirred in the 20th minute.

He beat Norwood easily, only for his cross to clear Forss. When the striker did have the chance to shoot, 10 minutes later as Smallwood worked the ball to him, he failed to make the most of it.

In between time, a Gibbs-White effort was deflected over by more hungry defending.

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By now the teams were exchanging blows, Lewis-Potter not far wide from distance, and Jacob Greaves sliding in to stop Gibbs-White putting Rhys Norrington-Davies’s dangerous ball in.

Lewis-Potter nutmegged Chris Basham but when the ball came over, Regan Slater was unable to keep it down against the club he left in January. Seconds later Matt Ingram saved with his chest from McBurnie at the other end. When the striker threw himself at a Norwood cross he did well to reach it, but could not put it on target. McBurnie produced more of the same after the break, heading Norwood’s cross wide, and shooting at Ingram after running onto a Gibbs-White pass.

The on-loan youngster was guilty too, shooting at the goalkeeper after his team sprung from a Hull corner to send him through one-on-one.

The final half-hour left carried on in the same vein, almost all the second-half play at the Kop end the hosts attacked.

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A Ryan Longman shot, curled wide after Oliver Langford played a good advantage after Baldock’s clumsy challenge on Brandon Fleming, was a rare exception.

Generally, though, it was Blades miss upon miss – Gibbs-White a couple of times, Hourihane’s deflected free-kick, McBurnie heading over at a corner and Robinson unable to get over his volley.

For United, it was one of those nights. Hull did not mind at all.

Sheffield United: Foderingham; Basham, Egan, Robinson; Baldock, Hourihane (Berge 79); Norwood, Norrington-Davies; Ndiaye (Sharp 68), Gibbs-White; McBurnie. Unused substitutes: A Davies, Fleck, B Davies, Goode, Jebbison.

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Hull City: Ingram; Coyle (Elder 19), McLoughlin, Greaves, Fleming; Smallwood, Slater (A Jones 71); Longman, Honeyman, Lewis-Potter; Forss (Eaves 56). Unused substitutes: Docherty, Moncur, Bernard, Cartwright.

Referee: O Langford (West Midlands).

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