With an FA Cup Semi Final on the horizon, Sheffield United hosted play off placed Leyton Orient in a game that could prove imperative to Sheffield United’s play off chances.
Orient were looking for automatic promotion, and they were first to strike. When the ball broke to Dean Cox in the penalty area, he cleverly flicked the ball over defender Freeman’s head, and coolly slotted home past keeper Howard.
However, United weren’t going to let it slip that easily. Substitute Ben Davies played a delicious through ball all the way down the left flank. The ball completely fooled centre half Baudry and found its way to Jamie Murphy. Murphy rounded keeper Jamie Jones and placed the ball at a tight angle in the bottom corner of the net.
Late chances for both teams followed, but neither could convert those chances into goals. Honours even at the Lane as it ended 1-1.
Sheffield United
| Mark Howard – Never challenged too much by the Orient attack. Little he could do about the goal. | 7.0 |
| John Brayford – Enjoyed going forward but put a shift in defensively. Solid. | 8.0 |
| Neill Collins – Played better in recent weeks. Still pretty solid. | 7.5 |
| Harry Maguire – Dangerous going forward but he played well at the back. | 8.0 |
| Kieron Freeman – Could’ve been stronger in the build up to the conceding goal. Played well overall. | 7.5 |
| Ryan Flynn – Ran the line well. Gave the defenders some problems. Maybe fatigued a bit. | 7.5 |
| Michael Doyle – Spread play well but didn’t really get stuck in much. | 7.0 |
| Conor Coady – Didn’t really get going until the second half but looked lively on occasions. | 7.5 |
| Jamie Murphy – Outstanding all game and remained calm to convert a difficult opportunity. | 9.0 |
| Stephen McGinn – Played okay but didn’t have a huge influence on the game. | 7.0 |
| Chris Porter – Tried his best but sometimes it just wasn’t good enough. | 7.0 |
Substitutions
| Ben Davies – Provided a great assist for Murphy’s goal and seemed lively. | 8.0 |
| Stefan Scougall – Gave the ball away a bit but showed good trickery and pace. | 8.0 |
| Bob Harris – Only just back from injury so a bit slow some of the time. | 7.0 |
Leyton Orient
| Jamie Jones – Little to do in the first half. Rounded by Murphy but made a fine save late on. | 7.5 |
| Elliott Omozusi – Went forward well but was never really in the game. | 6.5 |
| Scott Cuthbert – Looked good going forward but struggled against the wingers. | 7.0 |
| Mathieu Baudry – All round had a poor game. Didn’t intercept the ball for Murphy’s goal and looked poor. | 5.5 |
| Dean Cox – Had a pretty good game overall. Scored. Booked. Subbed. | 8.5 |
| Lloyd James – Times where he had little of the ball. Booked and subbed. | 7.0 |
| Kevin Lisbie – Defenders did well to keep him quiet but showed some good strength. | 7.5 |
| Moses Odubajo – Had a good touch to him as well as good pace. Booked. | 8.0 |
| Nathan Clarke – Intercepted and broke play up well. Relatively quiet. | 7.0 |
| John Lundstram – Always looked around for the pass and gave it well. | 7.5 |
| Jamie Ness – Spread the ball well when in possession of it. Looked pretty good. | 7.5 |
Substitutions
| David Mooney – Kept straying offside when he came on. Threw himself at the ball though. | 7.5 |
| Shaun Batt – Showed a nice bit of pace and skill. | 7.5 |
Man of the Match
| Jamie Murphy – Had an outstanding game today. Took the defenders on and caused them some problems. Scored a lovely goal as well. | 9.0 |
Highlights
