The Blades drew their first league game of the season as winless Birmingham picked up a point at the Lane. The draw nudged United back into the top 6 but in truth they were fortunate to pick anything up from the game. As unfortunate as they were on Saturday to come away with nothing, tonight the Blades rode their luck as Birmingham hit the home woodwork twice and missed a sitter from a yard. Dean Henderson also made a crucial late save. A badly out of sorts home side created little of note with a Duffy deflected effort, a cross shot from the same man and a Baldock chance saved by Camp; the sum of the opportunities created. It was an incredibly frustrating night with so many key men completely off the pace and in the end the Blades were somewhat hanging on against a Birmingham side that have really struggled so far this season.

Manager Wilder made the surprising decision to change five players from the side at Bristol City. John Fleck came in for John Lundstram but there was a new strike force with Connor Washington making his home debut alongside the returning Leon Clarke. United also opted to change both full backs with Baldock and Johnson coming in for Freeman and Stevens. Whether it was the fact that the Blades had three games in a week or players had picked up knocks; it seemed a radical move to change almost half the side. The visitors handed a start to ****ager Charlie Lakin but fielded a relatively attacking line up with Jacques Maghoma, Che Adams, Lukas Jutkiewicz and Jota all starting. They had veteran Lee Camp starting in goal.

The game started slowly in a rather subdued atmosphere. Norwood looked to get on the ball when he could but Birmingham had a good shape and too often United’s build up was too slow and Birmingham had three solid banks that the home side could not pierce. Early on wing back Johnson put two decent balls in but both strikers were on their toes before Norwood tried an ambitious free kick. The same man wasted two corners that were both too deep and evaded everyone. Washington and Clarke were both struggling to get in the game whilst at the other end Egan and O’Connell were untroubled in a game mostly mired in the middle of the pitch. Fleck and Norwood both uncharacteristically gave it away and things were not coming off for Duffy. Basham tried to spring forward but the Blues were dealing with United rather comfortably in the first half hour. The Blades began to try longer passes but these did not come off and there was some frustration in the crowd.

Finally, United managed to have a little spell and it ended up with Duffy having the first effort with a deflected shot that Camp parried away and O’Connell flicked his header over from the resultant corner. Slowly Birmingham started to come into things with Jota looking a threat when he got on the ball and Jutkiewicz a powerful front man who was holding it up better as the game developed. Indeed, his run after Fleck had lost the ball; saw a long-range effort that clipped the post. Henderson may have got a hand on it and the offside flag went up as Birmingham tried to converge on the rebound. It was not long after the half time whistle went. United had been distinctly average really and the best opportunity had come to the visitors in a game that the home side had enjoyed most of the possession but done little with it.

The second half saw United start quite well with Norwood threading a lovely ball through to Baldock who was in but Camp got his body in the way as he tried to lift it over him. Morrison also may have got a piece of the ball as it was blocked. This was a really good chance and a rare opening. Egan’s headed effort from a deep corner was stopped due to a foul before around the hour mark Washington came off for McGoldrick. He soon had a shot wide after a decent move with Fleck involved but Birmingham were looking dangerous on the break and indeed as the game went on began to have more and more of the possession. Adams had a decent chance but his header was saved and then another half chance saw Jota win a corner. United made two more changes with Sharp and Woodburn coming on in quick succession for Clarke and Duffy but at this stage the visitors were having an excellent spell. Jota’s deep cross saw Jutkiewicz knock the ball over and the sub Bogle somehow contrived to scoop over from a yard. It was a real sitter and a let off for United. More sloppy play from United saw them give the ball away three times in a row and from the final one Norwood chopped his man down. The free kick from 25 yards was hit superbly by Gardner but hit the post and bounced away with Henderson motionless.

United simply could not get anything going and despite Johnson having a good surging run to win a corner, Birmingham broke out again and Mahoney was in on goal and looked set to score but his curling effort was superbly saved by Henderson. O’Connell then had to take his man out as Birmingham advanced again in stoppage time. The final moments saw United have to defend a free kick and in the end; it was definitely the home side who were happier to take the point. Birmingham had hit both posts and missed a few glorious chances and will wonder how their second half performance did not see them taking all three points. The home side will not play much worse than this with few passages of decent play; little opportunity created and none of the free-flowing attacking football that had dismantled Aston Villa.

United – I felt we were not as good as some made out at Bristol. We did well first half and could have been winning but 2nd half was a non-event and we never looked like scoring and conceded possession and territory. I felt it was just a really lethargic performance after we had stared the game so well. We kind of carried that on first half. We had a lot of the ball but did nothing with it. Everything was sideways and backwards and all at such a slow pace. Duffy did not get on the ball and make things happen. Fleck was off the pace and I felt Norwood was so wasteful. Still it was 0-0 and surely, we would see an improvement 2nd half after some words and tweaks from Wilder? 2nd half we got even worse. Again. We were really poor. Baldock had a chance but then after this we did not create a chance of note and the keeper had an easy game. Birmingham’s defence will not have had an easier game all season. We gave it away, we were sloppy in every aspect of our play and to be honest better finishing from them and a bit more luck and they would have won the game. We certainly could not have complained. They had a number of very good chances. We were hanging on at the end. This against a side that has not won a game. Very concerning that we have gone from two rampant displays against Bolton and Villa to an average performance Saturday to a really poor one tonight. Other than maybe Egan and Henderson; no one particularly played well. The wing backs did a few ok things but too often they did not have an end product and defensively both were poor positionally. The strikers who started contributed nothing (there were a few decent balls early on but little after this) and the replacements for them fared no better. Duffy had one of those night and even Fleck was off the pace and lost it several times and put us under pressure.

The most disappointing performer probably was Norwood. Maybe due to how well he has played; but other than one really good ball; he had a bit of a mare tonight. Awful set plays, give aways, cheap fouls and looked a long way from the player he has shown so far.

Too many players were just really poor individually. The touch and passing was woeful tonight and it seemed an epidemic as we just kept giving it away or making poor decisions with the ball. It was really poor. Good players could not do the basics and we just kept turning it over.

Collectively, the passing was pedestrian and allowed them to get men behind the ball. None of the midfield got ahead of the strikers and out whole shape was very passive with the wing backs rarely advancing and the centre backs not overlapping all night. We just had no idea how to break them down. It was not like they were superb. Some say they pressed us but they did not. They just sat off and got in a good shape. They only pressed when we got in their half and then we just panicked and went back and side. Noone really penetrated or tried to go at them – save Johnson a few times and Fleck – who kept losing it!