Premier League - Sunday 18th October 2020, 12:00 PM
Sheff U1
(0)
-
(0)
1
Fulham
Attendance: 0
Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)
Match events
Robinson
19
Lowe
19
21
Zambo Anguissa (f)
Brewster
64
McGoldrick
64
77
Lookman
Sharp
81
Basham
81
81
Lemina
81
Loftus-Cheek
82
Cavaleiro (f)
Sharp pen
85
Match review
Match Report
Sheffield United (0) 1-1 (0) Fulham
Premier League Match Day 05 at Bramall Lane
Sunday 18th October 2020 KO: 12:00
Referee:
Andre Marriner (West Midlands)
Live on BT Sport Box Office
|
A point apiece for two teams who will happily take that, given it gets them off the mark.
Supporters of these sides had not been given much incentive to pay £14.95 for this match on BT Sport, with Sheffield and Fulham having started the season with four league losses apiece.
A relegation six-pointer in October? That’s the way some were billing this before kick-off, possibly even Fulham’s Scott Parker, who wants his players to embrace the challenge ahead of them.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the 6ft 3in unit on loan from Chelsea, was operating just behind Mitrovic.
Some felt the 24-year-old could have done a job for Frank Lampard this season, but he will be guaranteed game time at Fulham, which is what he needs.
Certainly it will enhance his chances of being noticed by Gareth Southgate ahead of next summer’s European Championship.
| Match Stats |
Sheff Utd |
Fulham |
| Goals |
(0) 1 |
1 (0) |
|
| Scorers |
Sharp 85 pen |
Lookman 77 |
| , |
| Goal attempts |
6 |
6 |
| On target |
10 |
15 |
| Shooting Accuracy |
60% |
40% |
| Possession |
41% |
59% |
| Passes |
384 |
468 |
| Passes Success |
81% |
85% |
| Crosses |
15 |
16 |
| Crosses Success |
20% |
44% |
| Corners |
2 |
5 |
| Tackles |
14 |
14 |
| Tackles Success |
57% |
57% |
| Saves |
5 |
5 |
| Fouls |
5 |
9 |
| Offsides |
4 |
0 |
| Yellows |
0 |
2 |
| Reds |
0 |
0 |
| source: SkySports |
Loftus-Cheek looked lively here and he handed Max Lowe a rough welcome to the Premier League early in the game. Blood was drawn, and it led to the Sheffield debutant being removed.
Fulham were playing around with it at the back, trying to suck Sheffield in so that they could beat their press and break.
They had players flooding forward and their first chance came via Tom Cairney, who tested Aaron Ramsdale with a 25-yard shot.
Sheffield like testing teams from crosses, and one inviting ball in from the right wing saw Oli McBurnie send a glancing header wide of the far post.
Before the half hour mark, another cross found the head of McBurnie, who would have scored were it not for Alphonse Areola’s acrobatic heroics.
The Fulham goalkeeper denied the striker from four yards, before showing safe hands in keeping hold of Sander Berge’s low drive.
There were no supporters inside Bramall Lane, and that meant the gasps from both benches could be heard clearly when Enda Stevens blasted a low ball through the six-yard box.
Despite there being multiple players in red and white in the box, nobody tapped it in.
The ball was in the back of the Fulham net moments later – via the foot of defender Tosin Adarabioyo – but the assistant cut short Sheffield’s celebrations by raising his flag. VAR checked and confirmed Berge was offside in the build-up, saving Adarabioyo the indignity of an own goal.
Before the hour mark, Fulham were given a glorious chance to score when Robinson was judged to have handled the ball inside of the box. Unlike a few handballs we’ve seen this season, there was nothing controversial about this.
A cross was going to find the head of Loftus-Cheek until Robinson intervened with his arm in the air, as unnatural as it gets.
Mitrovic stepped up to take it – and blasted the ball over. If a goalkeeper saves a spot-kick, fans can forgive that. If a striker cannot even get his shot on target, that’s criminal.
But those Fulham fans who had departed with £14.95 were celebrating moments later when Lookman created his own luck. He had the ball and two men in front of him, but bundled his way beyond Berge then Chris Basham and blasted his shot beyond Ramsdale for 1-0.
But the drama was not done there. In the 84th minute, Areola came out to collect a cross but dropped it. Mitrovic tried to clear by putting his foot through the ball, but he booted Robinson instead.
Referee Andre Marriner visited his pitch-side monitor and, after taking in several replays, pointed to the spot. Sharp showed Mitrovic how it’s done by blasting beyond Areola, completing the scoreline.
Sharp grabbed the ball and sprinted back to the centre circle. Sheffield’s £23.5million club record signing Rhian Brewster was now on the pitch, too, as Wilder urged his players to find a winner.
It was too late for that, and so these two sides shared the spoils at Bramall Lane.
Sheffield United: Ramsdale, Basham (Sharp 81), Egan, Lowe (Robinson 19) Baldock, Lundstram, Berge, Norwood, Stevens, McBurnie, McGoldrick (Brewster 64)
Unused substitutes: Burke, Verrips, Ampadu, Osborn,
Goals:
Sharp 85 (converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the top right corner.)
Fulham: Areola, Aina, Adarabioyo, Ream, Robinson, Cairney, Zambo Anguissa, Cavaleiro, Loftus-Cheek (Lemina 81), Lookman, Mitrovic
Unused substitutes: Kebano, Rodak, De Cordova-Reid, Lemina, Le Marchand, Bryan, Kamara
Goals:
Lookman 77 (left footed shot from the left side of the box to the top right corner.)
Booked: Zambo Anguissa (21,f), Cavaleiro (82,f)
Referee:
Andre Marriner (West Midlands)
Attendance: 0