It was definitely a case of a point gained for United as they drew at 2nd placed Norwich City. The home side will maintain a three-point gap and be pleased to remain in the automatic places but United fought back twice and after a poor start where Norwich could have scored more, the away side grew into the game. Second half, United had the better of the play and Norwich scored against the run of play. United had further chances, got back level and in the end merited a point.
Manager Wilder sprang two surprises when he named Madine and Dowell in his starting line up in place of McGoldrick and Duffy. There was no place on the bench for Clarke with Washington getting the nod.
The game started with the home side on top. Basham missed a header and Baldock needlessly fouled Hernandez. The free kick was half cleared but Stieperman hit a fierce shot that Henderson had to push away. It may have been going wide but he had to make sure. Soon after United had their first attack as Dowell came out on a run but his final ball was a poor one and gave Baldock little chance. Madine then played a good ball into Sharp but his first touch was not sound and the ball was cleared. Norwich were back on the attack and Stevens gave away a corner when he failed to deliver a diagonal ball. Two further corners came to the home side as they applied a lot of early pressure.
Norwich were controlling things and the first 15 minutes they showed why they have been scoring so many goals as quick, incisive football saw them get through United. One move was cleared away but then soon after the opening goal came. Lovely football saw the ball played quickly through but there was little pressure on the ball and Pukki’s pass saw HERNANDEZ slipped it under Henderson. It was a lovely goal and cool finish but really poor defending from all over the field and the defence given little protection. Baldock will have been disappointed to have lost his man.
Norwich were really flying now and Stieperman ran through but Egan got across to block. Norwich then won another corner after Hernandez teased Baldock again. The corner came over and Vranjic headed wide. Norwood the gave it away before Fleck also knocked it out of play as United’s midfield carried on from last week giving the ball away and allowing quick midfield runners to advance with the ball. This was putting United’s defence under all sort of pressure.
Dowell had looked lively but his end product had been poor and he badly sliced a shot wide in a rare United break out on 22 minutes. United’s first effort in a dominant performance from the home side. Baldock then got forward but his cross was poor. United then had a series of half efforts after a corner was not cleared. O’Connell then got forward for the first time and his low deliberate cross was perfect for Madine who rather telegraphed his shot and it was blocked. A decent chance though. United were having a better spell but Madine was rather looking for a penalty on 35 minutes as he went down under minimal contact.
Norwich then had another decent spell after the 10-minute improvement from United and the runners from midfield came again. Dowell was slow and gave it away. Buendia got forward and played a lovely one two and Henderson had to make a great save from point blank range to prevent it being 2-0. Fleck then gave it away under no pressure and City came again. Stiepermann had another great run and weaved past 3 men with no challenge whatsoever before Egan got in just before he was about to pull the trigger.
3 minutes of added time was signalled after a couple of stoppages and United were able to get level in the final minute. Stevens burst down the wing from Fleck’s cross and was stupidly pushed over by Buendia. It was an easy award despite the appeals and a ridiculous foul. After Krul was booked for some poor gamesmanship, SHARP had to re-spot the ball but fired past the penalty expert to make it 1-1 at the break. His celebration bizarrely involved a sock puppet and George Baldock!
The second half was the exact opposite to the first half with United beginning strongly. They won an early corner which Fleck sent over and Egan headed back into the danger area. Sharp with his back to goal pulled it headed it up and it clipped the bar. It was a decent effort. United won another corner and Egan headed over. The away side definitely had the initiative. Lovely football soon after saw Sharp play in Norwood who moved it across to Fleck. The midfielder’s shot was an attempted curler but went well wide. He should have done better.
Basham then got on the overlap but his cross was too long. It was much better from United who had been 2nd best for long spells in the first half. Norwood gave it away and then Dowell committed a silly foul which gave Norwich some respite. Not long after against the run of play, the home side went back in front.
It was another superb move as they cut United open – the time they moved it from the left to the right and maybe aided by a slight nick on the ball as it came over to the right side, the cross from Aarons picked out PUKKI who flicked it superbly into the far corner giving Henderson no chance. Once again United had not been tight enough and failure to press the ball or stop the final ball/cross was costly. Egan maybe could have been tighter but it was a superb strike by the man known as the Finn-isher.
The Blades came back again and Madine who had played well had a long range shot that Krul had to palm away. The corner came to nothing and then Fleck and Norwood gave it away in quick succession and United then struggled to keep the ball for a spell and Norwich were equally sloppy but would have been glad of a scrappy spell being in the lead.
Duffy and McGoldrick came on for Dowell and Madine and Duffy tried to get on it straight away but Sharp did not read his clever ball. Hernandez had been a handful and both he and Lewis caused Basham and Baldock issues with their trickery and pace. The corner was cleared and United came forward and Basham’s cross was headed over by Fleck.
Egan’s superb tackle saw Duffy onto the ball and he played it straight through for McGoldrick who took it first time and was well over when he was well placed and should have done better. Norwich then came in an end to end game but got crowded out as Stevens did well to get back. Trybull was booked for kicking it away and then Norwood’s diagonal ball from the free kick was hooked back by Baldock but again a poor final ball.
United kept going and another patient move saw the ball played to Baldock and then onto Duffy. He received it wide right and his cross was perfect for SHARP who did what he does best, peeled off his man and headed down and into the net past Krul. This time he shushed the Norwich fans as he ran away to celebrate the crucial leveller.
There was ten minutes to play and Basham was booked for a challenge on Pukki when the Norwich man seemed to have as much of the United’s player shirt as the other way around. A free kick seemed harsh let alone a yellow. The free kick was cleared and then Zimmeran was booked for a crude foul on Fleck and then Stiepermann pushed Sharp in the melee. The United man went down a bit theatrically but any time you raise your hands you are putting yourself in trouble and the referee by the letter of the law probably could have given the Norwich player a yellow card.
The free kick came over and after it came back across the box, McGoldrick was blocked out but the flag went up. With the game entering the final two minutes Norwich made a double change as Rhodes and Cantwell came on for Stieperman and Buerdia. United had a chance in the final minute as Duffy rolled it into Baldock whose low cross was flicked by McGoldrick but blocked by the Norwich defender It was a lovely move.
The game entered 5 minutes of stoppage time and would be longer as Stevens went down injured but United did well in this final period despite conceding a corner. Washington came on for Sharp and the final few moments Norwich pressed but the defence held firm and there was only one effort a shot miles over right at the death. The final whistle came after over 6 minutes were played. United’s players celebrated a hard-earned point with their 2,000 fans and now will go back to the Lane with a game against struggling Bolton and a chance to put pressure on the top two teams who play each other.