Damage of big defeats 'never goes away'

Former Chelsea and Everton winger Pat Nevin speaking to BBC Sport: "Almost every top player has a hidden part of their heart that is irreparably damaged by a huge defeat. It might have been eight months ago or when they were aged eight, but it never goes away.

"After the 8-0 annihilation at home by Newcastle, Sheffield United join an ignominious list in the past five years that includes Liverpool's 9-0 thrashing of Bournemouth and Southampton shipping the same number against Leicester City and Manchester United.

"The Blades crumpled and even though they had a huge number of injuries, it will be imprinted on their psyche. They know it has happened once, so it could happen again. Fortunately it usually makes the coaches and the players more resolved to ensure it doesn't reoccur, but it will still be there in the minds.

"Eight or nine-goal margins have only happened 11 times since the start of the Premier League in 1992 and even though they are rarities, they are becoming more common than they once were.

"In the first 27 years there were only six of these hammerings, less than one every four years. In the last four years and two months there have been five, that's more than one per season. I reckon there might be at least one more in this current campaign."