Sheffield United 4 Reading 0 – Oli McBurnie turning into ideal leading man for Blades

Sheffield United have not signed or sold a player since James McAtee joined on loan from Manchester City nearly four weeks ago, but two goals in as many games for Oli McBurnie have turned what looked like a very imposing squad with just a few question marks over the striker options into just a very imposing squad.

This being Sheffield United –the footballing equivalent of a live performance of Casualty – there was a catch as McBurnie fell awkwardly after an aerial challenge and was substituted but hopefully with his side 3-0 up on Reading by then, it was no more than manager Paul Heckingbottom playing it safe.

Certainly he had done his job by then, setting the ball rolling for what turned out to be a comfortable 4-0 win over what yesterday afternoon was the Championship’s in-form side. The Royals were well and truly rumbled.

Two more goals for centre-back Anel Ahmedhodzic, taking him to three for the season already, were certainly very welcome, as was a wonderful performance from Tommy Doyle but it is goals from your centre-forward which decide the prizes when games are much tighter than last night’s.

Last season the Blades looked vulnerable to a badly-timed injury to Billy Sharp, and Sod’s Law dictated they got one. Their other strikers have plenty of talent but have yet to make it count in red-and-white stripes. McBurnie took another important step to doing that last night.

Since his £20m signing in the summer of 2019, the Scotland international has seriously disappointed. Until Friday, he had not scored a league goal since December 2020 and recently he had made a habit of getting into good positions, then fluffing his lines.

All that has changed now and so has he, heading just over minutes after thumping in a Max Lowe cross, then quickly following it up with a deflected shot former Middlesbrough goalkeeper Joe Lumley saved.

If his team-mates – particularly Iliman Ndiaye – had shown the same eye for goal, the hosts might have got fair reward for the first-half football Doyle inspired from midfield but it came in the second instead. McBurnie looked confident from the off, he and Ndiaye stepping over the ball in the fifth minute so it could pick out Manchester City loanee and full debutant Doyle. Andy Yiadom came across to deal with the danger.

With Oliver Norwood curling over a free-kick inside 10 minutes it was clear which way the game was going and McBurnie made sure it did, bulleting a header when Lowe gave Doyle’s pass an excellent first-time cross.

The biggest danger to the Blades was complacency. They over-stretched midway through the half, a poor John Egan pass putting them into trouble as Rhys Norrington-Davies came across to brilliantly sweep up. Tom Ince’s shot dragged wide after Tom McIntyre outfought Ahmedhodzic was another warning.

Lumley was able to drop onto a shot Doyle dug out and in the 38th minute, Ndiaye ought to have doubled the lead when the midfielder helped an Egan header onto him. He put his shot wide.

When Ndiaye missed again after Lowe played a one-two with Doyle then picked him out, he kicked the air in frustration.

But Ahmedhodzic put things right straight after the interval, catching a Doyle corner flush on the volley to double the lead and bury the doubts.

When Berge squared Lowe’s pass Ndiaye took out his annoyance by cutting inside and finding the bottom corner. Rhian Brewster came off the bench and made a couple of interventions that suggested confidence but he is another centre-forward in need of the McBurnie treatment.

So it was left to Ahmedhodzic to round things off beautifully in the 81st minute. Substitute wing-back Basham rolled the ball to Norwood, who crossed it for a cutely-guided header into the net.

If McBurnie is starting to look like a proper striker again, so is the Bosnian.

Sheffield United: Foderingham; Ahmedhodzic, Egan, Norrington-Davies; Baldock (Basham 77), Berge, Norwood, Doyle (McAtee 78), Lowe; Ndiaye (Khadra 66), McBurnie (Brewster 70). Unused substitutes: Arblaster, Jebbison, Amissah.

Reading: Lumley; Holmes, Hutchinson, Sarr (Fornah 46); Yiadom, Loum, McIntyre, Hoilett; Ince, Hendrick; Joao (Long 57). Unused substitutes: Guinness-Walker, Bouzanis, Abrefa, Ehibhationmhan, Craig.

Referee: G Ward (Surrey).