Swansea became the first side to do a league double over United after winning at the Liberty Stadium. It was a game United controlled for the first 45 minutes and missed two golden chances but the home side stepped it up and thanks to a goal from Olly McBurnie who scored for the second time against the Blades this season. The Blades played really well first half but the second half they did not turn up at all.

United missed a chance to go back to 2nd and move within a point of leaders Leeds before a big showdown with fellow contenders Norwich at Carrow Road next week.

Manager Chris Wilder named an unchanged side as United sought to build on four straight league wins and had loanees Dowell and Madine on the bench.

United started well and won a corner and Van Der Hoorn had to receive treatment after clashing heads with Egan before being deemed fit enough to continue. United saw a lot of the early ball with Norwood and Duffy influential. One decent move saw the ball fall for Baldock but he fired well over the bar.

Fleck then had a low shot easily saved by the keeper. Duffy and then Stevens linked well before United won another corner. Egan won the header but Sharp was pulled up for a foul.

For the second time a Swansea defender went down and this time Rodon could not continue and former Blades loanee Carter Vickers came on making it three ex United players on the pitch with Naughton and another former loan player in Dyer.

Basham flicked the ball forward and Baldock fired a crossfield ball towards Stevens who played it into Duffy. The ball was returned to Stevens whose pullback fell to Sharp who stabbed goalwards but the Swansea keeper Mulder saved with his feet. It was a really good chance and one you would expect Sharp to score.

Swansea were struggling to have much off the ball let alone penetrate in the Blades third and it was one-way traffic in terms of possession and territory. Another neat move saw Stevens and Fleck link up but the final ball went awry.

A lovely move that saw United play it out from the back with several patient passes saw it find Duffy who sent over a lovely cross and McGoldrick who had come back onside headed wide under little pressure. It was a really good chance.

Norwood was booked for leaving his leg in making it 7 for the season and this broke up some of the momentum for the visitors.

Swansea had a nice spell of play and Celina and Fer were at the heart of things probing to try and create space. Dyer and Routledge were playing inside and making play narrow trying to cause an extra man due to United’s formation. A few decent moves from the home team saw United forced back but Henderson had still not had a save to make.

A half-hearted appeal for a penalty came when a late free kick after a foul and a booking from Stevens for a pull back on Naughton. The delivery saw a mismatch with Baldock on Fer but the contact was very minimal and the referee rightly waved things away.

James came on for the injured Routledge at the break and Swansea began the second half in the ascendancy and were putting United under more pressure. They won a free kick for a foul on Fer by Fleck but Grimes dipping free kick went over the bar. Baldock was then booked for persistent fouling and his fourth offence saw the referee dip into his pocket.

Another neat move from Swansea saw the ball played patiently around and Basham could not clear properly. The final ball that came in went over everyone and United cleared. The home side were certainly now the better side and were playing further up the field. A rare break out saw United win a corner but this was wasted by a poor Fleck cross.

United were now sitting back more and when they had it were giving it away. Swansea played it across and a cross from Dyer looked like a real good chance for McBurnie. United did not heed the warning and moments later the opening goal came. Dyer played a one two with the centre back Van Der Hoorn and the cross came over and McBURNIE beat Basham to it to score from close range. The goal had been coming as United had simply not started at all in the second half.

Dowell came on for Duffy as United tried to find some attacking intent in a game they were now being dominated in after it was the other way in the first half.

Soon after it could have been 2. A breakaway saw Dyer in but his shot was blocked brilliantly by O’Connell. United were getting pulled all over the place and looked a ragged outfit now after being in such control. The pace and running of James and Dyer were causing United real problems and the other way United were not creating anything of note.

O’Connell was the next in the book for fouling McBurnie and the defender was not happy with Norwood for giving the ball away earlier in the build-up.

Fleck came off for Madine as United tried to find anything they could to inject some life into an insipid 2nd half showing.

A great chance for Swans to kill the game came when Celina found James who came inside and the ball was worked to Celina whose first shot was saved and then James again had an effort that was brilliantly saved from Henderson who dived full length. Naughton then came inside and nearly made it two. Swansea had more energy and were surging past a leaden footed United side who looked like they had no life in them at all.

O’Connell made another great block from another overload for Swansea as time after time they had men over on the break. United struggled to keep the ball and were just did not have the energy of the home side.

Clarke came on with ten minutes to go but the Blades were not really creating and Swansea looked the more likely to score again. United did win a corner after Grimes headed behind under no pressure but the ball was cleared and there was a stoppage for an injury as the game entered four minutes stoppage time.

At the end Madine found Dowell who switched the ball to Sharp and his cross was blocked behind from Van Der Hoorn with appeals for a penalty but this would have been harsh due to the distance between Sharp and the defender. The corner came to nothing with Henderson up and the ball came to nothing.


United – We have had a great run and it came to an end and deservedly after an appalling 2nd half performance really – there is no other way of dressing it up. That may seem harsh and first time we have played so poorly for a while but we were rotten after half time. That is not having a meltdown or completely turning on the team. It is just as I saw it. We were really decent first half but 2nd half we were crap. Just calling it as I see it on the day.

We were 2nd best individually and collectively and at times as they did at the Lane they went through us like butter. They have our number and seem to know how to beat us. It is odd though as first half we played well and should have been leading but 2nd half we looked nowhere near a top 6 side let alone top 2. We looked slow, sluggish, gave it away. We have seen this too often at times this season. We put so much in the first half that if we don’t take our chances then teams come onto us, press us higher up and do what Swansea do.

Wilder is right. We score first half and it is a different game. After they scored it is always hard as they have pace on the break but not sure we were pressing and they were breaking on us as Wilder saw it. They actually dominated even after scoring. It was only pumping high balls forward the last 10 minutes we had a few corners and bits and pieces but we did not have one shot or effort anywhere near the goal 2nd half. Not one. That was Swansea in the first half and that goal never saw any action of note at all for the travelling United fans.

They caused us issues at the Lane with pace and it was the case again. They pressed us, stepped up the intensity and we did not have an answer at all. It was worrying how it changed so much. From us being in complete control up to 30 minutes, they had a spell for the last 15 minutes and then 2nd half they dominated in all ways. We were really poor 2nd half. It reminded me of Derby and a few others where we looked like we lacked belief completely. Weird for the confidence to drain so much after we had been on such a good run but we looked a team that had lot 4 on the bounce much of that 2nd half.

I will get called for saying it but today kind of showed why I do not think top two will happen. I get called for saying I’d take 6th now. I said it last week and say it again. That may be very negative but I when so many go sup par we do not have someone who can take the bull by the horns and we lacked any leadership second half. Only Jack showed any passion. The players just sort of went. It was odd. The players seem to lack belief to go on and really punish teams when on top. Today was reminiscent of many games where we do well, cannot score and then teams pressure the key men, turn us over on the counter. We kind of fell apart in terms of everything. We could not pass, could not tackle and could not do anything. How we went from so decent-good to so bad was startling. Hope it is a just a bad day but it has happened quite a bit. Still must happen to other teams too as we are above 20 of the them in the league! We have done superb and one bad 45 minutes does not mean we are a poor side but we do need to do much better in a crucial game next week.

We did not have one good chance second half at all and never even looked like scoring. We stopped passing and stopped moving on and off the ball. We felt like we would carry on dominating and they totally took over. Really flat and a big chance missed to keep up with the top two.