Sheffield United's Andre Brooks, Will Osula and Oliver Arblaster point the way on Blades' night of the long knives

Chris Wilder’s substitutions had the feel of an overdue changing of the Bramall Lane guard as the rebuilding of a team left to stagnate by under-investment since his first spell as manager finally accelerated.

"What you'll see a little bit more now is the introduction of the younger players," he promised afterwards. Normally fans are quick to cry “throw the kids in” as their teams hurtle towards relegation but managers are often wary of the damage that can do.

But it felt like Wilder might just have reached the end of his tether with the seniors. He stressed they had time to get back into his good books but this could go down as the Blades' night of the long knives.

Defeats like Monday’s happen against Arsenal – particularly now when they have scored 21 goals in four Premier League matches.

But performances as feeble and supine as Sheffield United's first-half display should never happen from footballers paid elite wages to play elite football for fans who turned up in their thousands to watch.

It happened at home to Newcastle United and Bournemouth, then at Burnley, before Paul Heckingbottom was sacked and after initially showing fight when Wilder took back the helm, it has happened again at home to Aston Villa, and now against Arsenal.

Injuries, the quality of the opponent, transfer budgets, you can throw all the excuses you like in but the numbers are horrific – four consecutive five-goal-plus home defeats for the first time in English football history, a good difference of minus 50, 72 goals conceded in 27 league games which have yielded a pitiful 13 points.

They really should have delayed kick-off until after the watershed.

Although thousands of fans could not stomach watching until the end, plenty did stay to support and encourage what positive moments there were, largely involving substitutes Andre Brooks, Will Osula and Oliver Arblaster.

All three have L plates on. It was Arblaster's Premier League debut.

Recently Wilder has resisted giving the gifted midfielder his top-flight debut for fear of the psychology damage it could do. No longer.

Oliver Norwood, mainstay of the side which finished ninth in the 2019-20 Premier League, was hooked to accommodate a change of formation after just 16 minutes in which he actually made a decent block on Jorginho.

Oli McBurnie, centre-forward now as in 2019-20, and Tom Davies, making his first Blades start but easily their most experienced top-flight player, went at half-time along with on-loan youngster James McAtee – after just eight first-half touches including one woeful shot.

Most dammingly, 64 minutes in, centre-back and captain Anel Ahmedhodzic came off for 20-year-old midfielder Arblaster.

He had done well to last that long.

The fourth goal, after just 25 minutes which also saw the crossbar clanged, broke the monotony of balls being pulled back from the byline to be slotted in but that was all it had going for it. Gabriel Martinelli eased past Ahmedhodzic's wet-paper-bag challenge, pushed over by the defender only after feeding goalscorer Kai Havertz.

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Along with Jack Robinson, the only outfield starter who could hold his head up, Ahmedhodzic, Norwood, McBurnie and Davies were the Blades' most experienced players, with three of the least, plus Ben Osborn and George Baldock, coming on.

With four or five players out for the season, Wilder probably does not have the resources to say none will wear the red-and-white stripes again but it felt like the night he lost faith in a few and decided it was time to chuck his lot in with the kids.

"I thought we were better," he argued, with justification. The second half was only 1-0.

Brooks continued the progress shown since Wilder effectively started his senior career at home to Liverpool, fellow midfielder Arblaster hinted he can follow the same path. Both signed long-term contracts this winter. Not for the first time, Osula had more about him than his elders.

So the architect brought in to oversee a rebuild is hard at work but can he survive 11 matches if this is what his team serve up?

Wilder was defiant – "it'll strengthen my resolve to get this right... I have an to obligation my employers" – and has the passion and skill needed but there is a limit to how much punishment anyone can take and this owner has sacked him with relegation inevitable before.

Heckingbottom began 2023-24 with boardroom understanding of the duff hand they dealt him and promises they would stand by him, but too many performances like Monday’s forced his sacking.

Whether the future belongs to him or not, it certainly seems to lie with Brooks, Osula and Arblaster.