Sheffield United entered yesterday’s game away to Blackburn on the back of a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest.
Sheffield United fans might have been excused for thinking that their opponents from Lancashire would be there for the taking. Tony Mowbray’s Blackburn were hammered 7-0 by promotion contenders Fulham.
It certainly looked like Blackburn were in for a long, hard day at the office with Rhian Brewster (2′) giving The Blades a very early lead. It was a first-half display where they saw more of the ball (59.3%) than the home side as they looked to press and attack.
Blackburn were patient and it paid off with Reda Khadra (37′) converting from inside the 18-yard box after being set up by Jacob Davenport. It was a goal that saw Rovers through to the break and a 1-1 scoreline.
As a spectacle, it was a game that lit up in the second half. Blackburn were under the cosh as Sheffield United dominated the ball again (62.7%) but it was Blackburn (9) who fashioned the most chances.
It was from these chances that Mowbray’s men stretched the game away from their visitors. Ben Brereton (59′) scored from inside the 6-yard box, set up by Leeds United loanee Ian Poveda.
Poveda turned from provider to scorer (70′), the youngster slotting in from inside the box, finishing off a Rovers’ quick break to make it 3-1. Sheffield United pushed to get back in the game but it was all in vain – Tony Mowbray’s men keeping all three points in Lancashire.
Here are three Sheffield United players who let Slavisa Jokanovic down in a bad loss at Ewood Park.
Robin Olsen – WhoScored rating 5.97
As a last line of defence, goalkeepers almost always come in for some form of criticism when their team loses. It is par for the course, really.
31-year-old Olsen did make three saves, something that will obviously be seen in a positive light. However, he let in three goals as Blackburn swarmed forward and exposed The Blades defensive frailties.
Jayden Bogle – WhoScored rating 6.00
21-year-old defender Bogle is a player highly rated at Bramall Lane. He didn’t really show that side of his game today before being substituted late on in the game.
He saw a lot of the ball (5.3%), making 72 touches. His distribution (83%) was accurate and he completed 35 passes – none of these were key passes leading to teammate chances. One positive was that he made five tackles to help try stem the Blackburn tide.
Robert Fleck – WhoScored rating 6.18
Midfielder Fleck was another Blade who didn’t have his best day at the office as Sheffield United crumbled to defeat at Blackburn. A senior player such as he is would be expected to have more gloss to his game.
Like Bogle, he was another player with accurate distribution (89%) but from his 25 passes he created just one teammate chance with a key pass. Defensively, he was disappointing and failed to make any of the three tackles that he went in for.
Data derived from the Blackburn Rovers vs Sheffield United match profile on the WhoScored website.
