Sheffield United win ‘one of biggest’ in my time at Lane, admits Chris Wilder

A well-contested game between the two sides who have produced two of the most compelling stories of the Premier League campaign was settled in dramatic fashion in the third minute of stoppage time when John Egan followed up his strike at Burnley with his second goal in successive matches.

The win lifted United above Arsenal and Spurs into seventh place and they are now just a point behind Wolves in the race for Europe.

Wilder, who raced down the touchline to celebrate with players and staff after Egan’s goal, said: “It was a huge performance. I would go as far to say as one of the biggest since I have been here.

“We were playing against a top-class team and they are a settled side. I loved watching my team, everything about it.

“A lot of teams might have thought that a draw in the last 10 minutes was a fair result off the back of a good performance and possibly it would have been. But there was no denying we were going for a win.

“We all reacted even though there were not 30,000 Sheffield United fans in. That was full of everything I require from my players and football club.”

Side-stepping talk of qualifying for Europe to round off a momentous campaign, Wilder, whose side welcome Chelsea on Saturday, continued: “Nobody has talked about anything other than putting a shift in and a performance in.

“We wanted to move our points total from 48 and we have moved it.

“Seven points out of nine is a really good return and we have to go again.”

Wilder was pleased with the desire and perseverance of his side.

“I’m really pleased. We wrapped up some really big players at the top end of the pitch, and we had something going the other way as well,” said Wilder.

“The desire when there were tired bodies was really pleasing and to get a winner is just rewards for the players. We edged a really tight game through absolute will to go and win.

“This is top-10 Premier League football, nothing is handed to you. You have to go and earn it and we did that tonight.”

Editor’s note: First and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you. James Mitchinson, Editor