Sheffield United hosted South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley at Bramall Lane on Saturday in a game that ended in a 2-0 win for the Blades.
It was a win that saw Paul Heckingbottom’s men move back into a play-off place – ending the game in 4th place on 61 points ahead of later kick-offs.
The first half was one where Poya Asbaghi’s Barnsley side created more chances (5) than Sheffield United (4) despite having less of the ball. The Blades continued to find it difficult to break the Tykes down and the game entered the half-time break scoreless.
The second half was a different affair as Sheffield United turned the screw more. Across the half, Heckingbottom’s men had more possession (56.9% to 43.1%) and created more chances (8) than Barnsley (4) did. Two of those chances led to goals for Sander Berge (54′) and Morgan Gibbs-White (76′).
Here are three Sheffield United players who stood out in a good performance that sees Paul Heckingbottom’s side move back into the play-off picture.
Morgan Gibbs-White – WhoScored rating 8.1
The 22-year-old Wolves loanee Gibbs-White is having quite the season in South Yorkshire for Sheffield United. His goal today was his 9th of the season. His game against Coventry City was more than that though. For example, he also completed both his dribbles as well as one tackle and set up two chances.
Conor Hourihane – WhoScored rating 7.3
Midfielder Hourihane saw a lot of ball (5.6%) for Sheffield United and this saw him make 52 touches. From these touches, he went on to complete 25 passes – one of which was a key pass leading to a chance. The defensive side of his game saw him make two tackles and one interception and he also produced the assist for sander Berge’s opening goal.
Sander Berge – WhoScored rating 7.2
Norwegian international Berge was always going to be amongst the top-ranked players in this game. That was the case but his overall game was much more than this. He completed five headers across the game and was very accurate (81%) in his passing where he completed 26 passes. Berge put in a tidy performance before being substituted on 71 minutes.
