Sheffield United's second successive crunch-match surrender makes Paul Heckingbottom feel like a dead manager walking

In that time Jack Robinson lost a midfield header and Gustavo Hamer and George Baldock put in half-hearted tackles before Jay Rodriguez headed Burnley 1-0 up.

It was, as the Blades manager pointed out afterwards, only a one-goal headstart with more than 90 minutes to rectify. But having sat in the blocks at Bournemouth a week earlier, his players desperately needed to set the tone in snowy Lancashire. Unfortunately, they did.

Taking the setback to heart, they lost 5-0. It should have been more. Burnley hit the woodwork twice.

The only flicker of fight was so woefully misdirected first by John Fleck then much more brainlessly by Oli McBurnie – players recalled to help out – it made matters worse, not just on the day but for the two games the striker is suspended for.

If Sheffield United needed a win for their survival hopes, Heckingbottom badly needed a performance for his. That he so emphatically got neither made you fear for his future.

After not just winning promotion, but dealing with such dignity with the constant hurdles the mismanagement a reluctant owner has thrown in his path, Heckingbottom should have started the season with huge credit and a decent overdraft facility. With the advent calendars only just up it feels close to spent.

The away fans sang "You're not fit to wear the shirt" at the players but at 5-0 there was also a burst of "We want Hecky out!" It was quieter and shorter, but it was there.

Heckingbottom almost certainly does not have the team to keep this club in the division or the bench to turn many matches, and that is highly unlikely to change in January. Injuries have made his task harder. A new manager will not change that.

And whilst Heckingbottom signed off who arrived on his miniscule budget and his training methods may be found to have contributed to those injuries if the independent investigation he requested ever comes to pass, the main responsibility lies with Prince Abdullah Bin Mosaad Al Saud, who dishes out the P45s.

But for the second crucial game running, Sheffield United completely failed to show up. And whilst the players must ask serious questions of themselves – questions, from what little Heckingbottom told us about what was said in the dressing room, he posed on Saturday – motivating them is his job.

On Saturday the excuses ran out.

Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest beat them before they were ready for the season, only taking buying Premier League players seriously once Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge were sold.

Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Manchester United, Arsenal – well, what can you seriously expect against clubs light years ahead financially?

Even lavish Bournemouth were riding a 2-0 win over Newcastle.

But Burnley kicked off bottom of the table, without a clean sheet or home point all season. Desperate for a lucky 1-0 win, they strolled to a 5-0.

"This is hopefully a starting point," said manager Vincent Kompany.

"I had the feeling if the ref had blown the whistle by mistake 45 minutes early the lads would have already been raring to go.

"There's a real fight in this team."

Take the exact opposites for the team who replaced them at the bottom of the Premier League.

Once the first goal hit the net, it just felt like a question of how many.

The second came when Jacob Bruun Larsen outsprinted Luke Thomas onto a routine pass.

Instead of taking their frustration out on Burnley's goal, Fleck lunged into Josh Brownhill and was given a card on his first Premier League start since the May 2021 win over the Clarets when Heckingbottom was caretaker manager.

When Oli McBurnie tried to elbow O'Shea in the face three minutes later, being slightly off target may have been all that saved him a red card. Instead of taking the yellow, the kick right-back O'Shea went out to the left wing to give him and the warning, he was sent off in first-half stoppage time after connecting with a flailing arm.

Heckingbottom made three half-time substitutions on top of one to replace the injured Baldock earlier but all it really changed was the shape. Burnley scored in the 73rd, 75th and 80th minutes, none of them entirely their own work.

After the Bournemouth defeat, Heckingbottom wished the next game was on Wednesday. This time it is, but against Liverpool. Gulp.

If he can make it to then and his team produce something remarkable, it will have to bring a stay of execution. But that is probably all.

"You can't kid people," he said more than once after the match.

It was put to him that perspective was needed in these tough times.

"Yeah," he replied, with a shrug, "but you don't get it."

Burnley: Trafford; da Silva, O'Shea (Ekdal 83), Beyer, Taylor; Berge, Brownhill, Amdouni (Redmond 77),; Bruun Larsen (Gudmundsson 65), Koleosho (Tresor 77); Rodriguez (Obafemi 77). Unused substitutes: A Ramsey, Vigouroux, Massengo, Odobert.

Sheffield United: Foderingham; Baldock (Bogle 25), Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Trusty, Thomas (McAtee 46); Norwood, Fleck (Osula 46); Hamer; Archer (Traore 46), McBurnie. Unused substitutes: Davies, Lowe, Souza, Slimane, Larouci.

Referee: C Kavanagh (Manchester).