(Football news) Following their 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers last week, the Blades are still the favourites to relegation, while Arsenal are still in the running for the crown after hammering Newcastle United 4-1.
Sheffield United’s inability to capitalise on home advantage at their Bramall Lane base meant that Chris Wilder and company were looking forward to travelling to rival territory for last weekend’s game against Gary O’Neil’s Wolves, who were unable to muster much of an attacking bite during the Molineux encounter.
Although Wilder’s cellar boys played much better, they were still unable to win the game as Pablo Sarabia headed in the game’s lone goal at the half-hour mark. Jose Sa and his defenders were called upon multiple times to keep the Blades out.
Wilder may have been able to reflect on some encouraging signs in the West Midlands, but Sheffield United’s 20th-placed ranking in the table is far less encouraging, and the Blades are still clutching onto a one-way ticket back down to the Championship as they sit 11 points behind Nottingham Forest in 17th spot.
While the hosts are yet to lose by more than one goal on the road in 2024, they have forgotten to bolt the Bramall Lane back doors shut in recent weeks and are now on the verge two unwanted English football firsts following demoralising defeats versus Aston Villa (5-0) and Brighton & Hove Albion (5-0 and 5-2).
Should Sheffield United be defeated by at least a five-goal margin to Arsenal, they would become the first team in English league history to ever lose three successive home games by that scoreline, while also holding the unwanted honour of being the only team in the land to ever ship five goals in four straight home matches in all tournaments.
As Sheffield United bid to avoid writing an unwanted page of English football history, their upcoming visitors have a more desirable record in their sights on account of their 6-0 battering of West Ham United and 5-0 demolition of Burnley in their last two Premier League away affairs.
Aiming to become the first team in the top four English divisions to win three consecutive away matches by five goals or more, Arsenal’s attacking supremacy on the road evaporated in their 1-0 reverse to Porto in the Champions League, but they shined their best shooting boots for last weekend’s visit of Newcastle.
Strikes from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Jakub Kiwior – alongside a Sven Botman own goal – saw Arsenal avenge their excruciating and controversial 1-0 loss at St James’ Park earlier in the season, while also keeping them on the final podium spot in the Premier League rankings.
Not that Mikel Arteta’s team will be looking over the table as they look to win their fourth straight Premier League game against Sheffield United and their seventh straight overall thanks to a thrilling 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Instead, the Reds’ four-point lead over leaders Liverpool is current.
When the teams met at Bramall Lane after the initial COVID-19 lockout, Arsenal defeated Wilder’s team 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium in October. The Gunners also easily defeated the team 2-1 in the FA Cup quarter finals of 2019–20 and then defeated them 3-0 in the premier flight in April of 2021.
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