Threadbare Sheffield United have only heart to hide behind as Crystal Palace expose them in 1-0 win

In the Championship, enough people were looking away to hide his embarrassment but in the world's most-watched football league, Saudi Arabia's poorest team are alarmingly exposed. Had Saturday's 1-0 scoreline against Crystal Palace reflected the flow of the game, it would have caught a lot more attention.

Unable to deck his team out properly for 38 footballing high-society diary dates, the (relative) pauper prince at least covered its backside for Saturday’s premiere, clinging to his goalkeeper and back five.

But at the front, the crown jewels have been sold off, the flashy borrowed accessories have gone back and the rest is damaged.

Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge now play elsewhere and Tommy Doyle and James McAtee are back at Manchester City (the latter's stoppage-time run-out against Berge's Burnley will only increase his price). Not only was Oli McBurnie injured, so were Rhian Brewster and Daniel Jebbison, with Billy Sharp released.

Sheffield United are a Premier League club without a Premier League squad.

At least the Berge and Ndiaye booty is being spent and recruit Gustavo Hamer is a creative midfielder worthy of a shot at English football's big time. That is the best the Blades can hope for, with no high-end boutiques willing to entertain clubs looking like tramps, no matter how much money is rustling in their hat.

Hamer was signed at midnight on Friday, a bad time to bury good news, and too late to do any more than wave to the fans before kick-off.

So the front five were Oliver Norwood, demoted to back-up holding midfielder when Doyle blossomed in last season's run-in, Chris Basham, the reserve centre-back filling in in midfield, Ben Osborn, a jack-of-all-trades fringe player, Benie Traore, a 20-year-old summer signing stepping up from the Swedish league, and Will Osula, arguably last season's sixth-choice striker.

Despite their name, Palace are no Premier League aristocrats but at this level even the stragglers boast players of the quality of Jefferson Lerma, Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze. Odsonne Edouard was a constant threat either side of scoring.

Roy Hodgson's Palace are usually built on excellent defensive organisation and searing pace on the counter-attack but on Saturday they could hog the ball to create 25 chances on top of two goals chalked off for over-eager runs behind.

Wes Foderingham's low save from Joachim Anderson was terrific.

It was huge credit to the hosts that Palace's win was never safe until the final whistle, although with Norwood's comfortably-dealt-with long-range shot their only effort on target, the risks were largely theoretical. John Egan put a couple of headers over at corners, Osula curled wide in the 10 minutes before Palace settled, then had fans in far-off parts of the ground celebrating when he rippled the netting from the wrong side, but that was about it.

Jack Robinson worked ferociously to cover and block but when he left Osborn to deal – ineffectively – with Jordan Ayew, he was a touch too square to stop a brilliant cross giving Edouard a tap-in. The devil is in the finest of details at this level.

"What Paul (Heckingbottom), and everyone at Sheffield United will take most heart from is the fact the team played with so much heart,” said Hodgson. "They have such a lot of determination they managed to summon up energy sometimes some teams might not be able to summon up when they've had such a long period without the ball."

"I can't be critical," said manager Heckingbottom, who found it quite easy nit-picking wins last season.

As Max Lowe said, you can never question their fight – even if he maybe showed a smidgeon too much retrieving the ball from 76-year-old Hodgson.

The crowd were excellent, realising if any side needed the cliched 12th man, it was theirs. They, their dutiful and skilled manager and grafters like Robinson, Basham and Osborn are being sold short.

Pats on the head and patronising platitudes about pluck should puncture pride, not placate players in a league where only points win prizes – or more pertinently permanence.

"We should only get better from here," has been Heckingbottom's post-Berge mantra.

Traore and substitutes Vinicius Souza, Anis Slimane and Yasser Larouci tasted Premier League football, Auston Trusty witnessed its dizzying speed from bench level, Hamer will presumably debut at Nottingham Forest on Friday and more bids will surely follow in the coming days.

With the shops shutting on September 1, the Blades have a lot to do to make themselves presentable. The next guests are Manchester City.

Sheffield United: Foderingham; Ahmedhodzic, Egan, Robinson (Slimane 80); Baldock, Basham (Souza 80), Norwood, Lowe (Larouci 80); Traore (Hackford 89), Osborn (Brooks 89); Osula. Unused substitutes: Davies, Trusty, Marsh, Seriki.Crystal Palace: Johnstone; Ward, Andersen, Guehi (Tomkins 90+2), Mitchell; Doucoure, Lerma; Schlupp, Eze, J Ayew; Edouard. Unused substitutes: Mateta, Clyne, Richards, Ahamada, Matthews, Gordon, Riedewald, Rak-Sakyi.Referee: J Brooks (Leicestershire).