Wilder hails '50-point' achievement

Chris Wilder celebrates the win at Cardiff City with the travelling support

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has hailed his Championship leaders for hitting '50 points' before Christmas.

Saturday's 2-0 win at Cardiff maintained their three-point cushion over Leeds United at the top and took them to 48 points after 22 matches, which would have been 50 but for the two-point deduction at the start of the season.

"I told the players before [the game] we've got an opportunity to get to 50 points before the 23rd game of the season and we've got to embrace that," Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield, ignoring the deduction.

"We're in a great position but have huge challenges ahead of us - exciting challenges and to come to a ground like this and break down a team, to play with the discipline and control we had was incredibly pleasing.

"We're getting stretched a little bit at the moment with six senior players out, but they keep doing what they do.

"They play with that freedom, they play with that control and when they have to defend they're proud of their clean sheets.

"I thought we were really good good, they were dangerous on the counter-attack, so we had to get so many things right."

United are at home to third-placed Burnley in the standout game in the Championship on Boxing Day.