Wolves were the uninvited guests as far as United were concerned, as Kenny Jackett’s side ruined Sheffield United’s 125th birthday by beating them 2-0 at Bramall Lane.
On a day where many former players and their relatives reunited at the historic club, Nigel Clough’s men couldn’t hold on to their eleven game unbeaten run, or goalkeeper Mark Howard’s clean sheet run as Wolves got back to winning ways after a disappointing result against Crawley midweek.
James Henry opened the scoring in the 13th minute when his cross turned shot from the right flank completely fooled keeper Mark Howard and nestled into the goal, out of nothing.
The Blades just didn’t seem to be at the races and Wolves punished them in the 53rd minute. Some lovely football led to Henry turning provider. His ball found its way to Dave Edwards on the edge of the six yard box, and he made no mistake; tucking his shot neatly into the bottom corner of Howard’s net.
With the win, the Midlands side stay top of the table with Brentford only one point behind in second. The Blades sit 11th, ten points off the play-offs but with a game in hand on 6th placed Peterborough.
Sheffield United
| Mark Howard: Didn’t look himself today. Misread the cross for the first goal. | 7.0 |
| John Brayford: Looked off the pace today. Defended well enough though. | 7.0 |
| Harry Maguire: Looked good going forward and defended pretty well. | 7.5 |
| Neill Collins: Spread the ball well and looked solid for the majority. | 7.5 |
| Kieron Freeman: Still looked to be learning the ropes. Average. Subbed. | 7.0 |
| Ryan Flynn: Didn’t play to potential. Created a few threatening chances. Subbed. | 7.0 |
| Michael Doyle: Spread play well and got stuck in well. | 7.5 |
| Conor Coady: Wasn’t up to scratch today. Looked okay though. | 7.0 |
| Jamie Murphy: Showed some pace and creativity. | 7.5 |
| Stefan Scougall: Got really stuck in and showed some clever trickery. | 8.0 |
| Jose Baxter: Another poor performance from him. Had a few chances. Subbed. | 7.0 |
Substitutions
| Billy Paynter: Put some effort in but had little game time. | 6.5 |
| Chris Porter: Strong in the air but sometimes to no avail. | 7.5 |
| Ben Davies: Wasn’t on long but played averagely. | 6.5 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers
| Carl Ikeme: Little to do but made some smart saves. | 7.5 |
| Matt Doherty: Kept Murphy pretty quiet. Little to do. Subbed. | 7.0 |
| Dave Edwards: Looked lively. Scored. Hard to handle throughout. | 9.0 |
| Richard Stearman: Defended with cleverness. Stayed solid. Booked. | 8.0 |
| Danny Batth: Communicated with his back line well. Booked. | 7.5 |
| James Henry: Really looked good. Put pressure on and scored. | 8.0 |
| Leon Clarke: Lazy in the first half. Missed an easy chance to put his team 3-0 up. | 7.0 |
| Kevin McDonald: Always seemed comfortable on the ball. Showed creativity often. Booked. | 8.5 |
| Lee Evans: Strong when he was out wide. Booked and subbed. | 7.5 |
| Scott Golbourne: Showed some clever feet some of the time. Played well. | 8.0 |
| Michael Jacobs: Seemed really bright throughout. Subbed. | 7.5 |
Substitutions
| Jack Price: Did the simple things well. Booked. | 7.0 |
| Sam Ricketts: Had little effect on the game. | 6.0 |
| Bakary Sako: Had little effect on the game. | 6.0 |
Man of the Match
| Dave Edwards: He was always sharp and alert. Scored, and he was by far the best player. | 9.0 |
