Sheffield United beat promotion rivals Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.
Billy Sharp has shared that the Sheffield United players told each other at half-time that they were ‘growing into the game’ and that they would get a ‘chance’ following his side’s 1-0 win against Leeds United.
The 33-year-old also stated that his side knew that their promotion rivals were going to ‘come out of the blocks’ as they leapfrogged their neighbours in the Championship table.
In the first half, Chris Wilder’s side struggled to cope with the pace and quality the home team were showcasing to the Elland Road supporters. But after the break, Sheffield United became more resolute and netted the winner through Chris Basham.
Speaking to EFL on Quest (16/03/2019 at 9:20 pm), Sharp admitted that his team had to ‘weather the storm’, but he praised them for taking their chance when it came about.
“We knew that they were going to come out of the blocks,” Sharp told Quest. “We had to weather the storm. I think the first half an hour, we weren’t at the races. They were brilliant, to be fair to them.
“At half-time, we dusted ourselves down and just said ‘We are growing in the game. We will get a chance’ and we managed to get a chance.”
Sharp was involved in a lot of the action in the second-half, particularly the two biggest talking points, the goal and the red card to Whites keeper Kiko Casilla.
Following a swift counter, Sharp kept onto the ball on the left-hand side before releasing it at the right time for the on-rushing Basham to slot home.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side continued their dominance in attack before another counter from the away team resulted in Casilla bringing down Sharp from outside the area before he was given his marching orders.
What followed was dramatic because Pontus Jansson had to don the gloves for the final few minutes because Leeds had already made all their substitutions, but the Blades held on to seal all three points.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
