Sheffield United 2-1 Wolves: Blades FINALLY end winless streak thanks to Oliver Norwood’s last-gasp penalty after Jean-Ricner Bellegarde cancelled out Cameron Archer’s opener
- Cameron Archer opened the scoring before Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s equaliser
- Oliver Norwood scored from the penalty spot in the 10th minute of injury-time
- Mauricio Pochettino vs Alan Shearer – who is right? Listen to It’s All Kicking Off
Oliver Norwood clinched Sheffield United’s first victory of the Premier League season with a disputed penalty in the 100th minute against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Norwood smashed the spot kick in off the bar to settle an untidy and rain-sodden contest, which exploded into life belatedly, when Cameron Archer fired the Blades.
There were only 18 minutes remaining when Archer burst clear onto a ricochet and beat Jose Sa with a searing drive from 25 yards, also in off the bar.
It was the first shot on target by the home side and looked as if it might be the winner until Jean-Ricner Bellegarde conjured up the equaliser, his first goal for Wolves, a deflected shot from just inside the penalty area in the 89th minute.
Then came the penalty, awarded for an innocuous foul by Wolves sub Fabio Silva on George Baldock, who could not fall down fast enough.
Sheffield United picked up their first win of the Premier League season after beating Wolves
Oliver Norwood scored for the Blades from the penalty spot in the tenth minute of injury-time
Sheffield United took the lead in the 72nd minute through Cameron Archer’s superb strike
It had been that sort of a niggly encounter, with players from both sides had exaggerating fouls all afternoon.
There was a long check as the foul was checked by VAR Chris Kavanagh who saw no reason to overturn the decision made on the pitch by referee Robert Jones.
Norwood held his nerve and Bramall Lane celebrated. It has been a long time coming.
Wolves arrived in Sheffield having taken eight points from their previous four games to ease up the table, and they dominated the first half against a home side depleted by injuries and bereft of confidence but were wasteful in front of goal.
Final passes went astray and the finishing was wild. Nelson Semedo set the tone when he skied a chance in the opening exchanges and Blades goalkeeper Wes Foderingham tipped over an effort by Matheus Cunha.
It was a niggly encounter, with players from both sides had exaggerating fouls all afternoon
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde conjured up the equaliser a minute from time, his first goal for Wolves
Fabio Silva was in tears after the full-time whistle after his foul inside the box cost Wolves
Tommy Doyle, on loan from Manchester City and starting his first Premier League game for Wolves after his 12 goals from midfield for Sheffield United helped them secure promotion from the Championship last season, appeared to take sympathy on his former teammates when he launched a free-kick high over.
Just after the half hour came a moment to sum it all up. Hee-chan Hwang slalomed into the penalty area but off balance sliced his shot so badly he played the ball square for Rayan Ait-Nouri.
The only problem was that Ait-Nouri was careering forward and not expecting it to come his way and with the goal was wide open could only divert the chance wide.
Sheffield United, for 45 minutes, created nothing. Rhian Brewster and Cameron Archer found it difficult to hold the ball up against the three Wolves centre-halves and Brewster limped off just before half-time with what looked like a hamstring issue.
Heckingbottom sent on James McAtee, who added quality and they returned with greater urgency after the interval. Archer fired over from the edge of the penalty area and they hustled Jose Sa into a mistake on the ball.
McAtee and Gustavo Hamer peppered Sa’s goal from distance and they generated a strong spell of pressure kicking towards the home end, and still did not force the Wolves keeper to make a save.
They waited 72 minutes for a shot on target but it was worth the wait. Archer seized on his good fortune an attempted clearance by Toti Gomes rebounded off James McAtee and sent him racing clear.
The finish was sublime, the game came to life and maybe Sheffield United are coming to life, too.
MATCH FACTS AND RATINGS
Sheffield United (3-4-1-2): Foderingham 6.5; Baldock 6, Trusty 6.5, Robinson 7; Bogle 6, Norwood 7.5, Souza 6.5, Thomas 5.5; Hamer 6 (Osborn 90); Archer 7, Brewster 5 (McAtee 45+2, 8).
Subs: Amissah, Fleck, Traore, Slimane, Larouci, Osula, Brooks
Goals: Archer 72, Norwood (pen) 90+10
Bookings: Baldock,
Manager: Paul Heckingbottom 7
Wolves (3-4-2-1): Sa 6; Kilman 6.5, Dawson 6, Toti 6 (Silva 81); Semedo 6, Lemina 6, Doyle 6 (Traore 70), Ait-Nouri 6; Hwang 5, Cunha 5; Kalajdzic 5 (Bellegarde 61, 7).
Subs: Bentley, Doherty, Bueno, Gomes, Jonny, Sarabia
Goals: Bellegade 90
Bookings: Dawson, Doyle, Silva,
Manager: Gary O’Neil 6
Ref: Robert Jones 6
Att: 29,454
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