Sheffield United 1-3 Leeds United: Blades have to ‘take medicine’

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder could have been forgiven for being lost for words after his side’s dramatic late defeat by title rivals Leeds on Monday.

Instead he was already in a reflective mood by the time he came into his news conference after the game.

He conceded they could have done better on Leeds’ first two goals but was proud of how his side had taken the game to the now champions-elect of the division.

“I don’t want to be a good loser but sometimes you have to take your medicine,” he said.

“We turned the ball over a little bit cheaply. Games are decided by that bit of quality.

“I think the majority of our supporters would have taken a point at 89 minutes but a game doesn’t last 89 minutes. We should have dealt with the set-play a lot better.”

For much of the first 89 minutes it had looked like a point would be the least his side would get. With 20 minutes of the match to play they were one point clear of their West Yorkshire rivals at the top of the league – when the whistle blew a few minutes after Joel Piroe had slammed a third into the Blades net they were five points behind.

These are the margins in such games, but the Blades could scarcely have a man in charge who understands that better than Wilder, twice a promotion winner with his hometown team in his first spell at Bramall Lane.

Saturday’s trip to Queens Park Rangers suddenly looks that bit more pivotal as they look to quickly put the closing stages of this match behind them. And the trip to third-placed Burnley, now just two points behind them, on Easter Monday looks like it could potentially decide whose work is done by the first weekend in May and who will have to do this the hard(er) way.