YELLOW CARDpublished at 48 mins
West Brom 1-2 Sheff Utd
Tom Fellows spins in midfield and drives towards the area before eventually being felled in the D by Alfie Gilchrist who picks up a yellow card for his trouble.
Danger for the Blades...
Draw specialists West Bromwich Albion shared the spoils for an astonishing 10th time in 11 games as they held Sheffield United at The Hawthorns.
But the Blades' point was still enough to send them back above Leeds United to the top of the Championship table.
In pouring rain in the Black Country, the Baggies led through Torbjorn Heggem's early header, only to be pegged back by two goals in two minutes, scored by Callum O'Hare and Tyrese Campbell.
But, unlike so many of Albion's previous drawn home games this season - six in their first eight games - this was a comparative classic to gladden the heart in the almost brutally cold, wet conditions.
And they got a deserved but fortuitous point when Tom Fellows' 62nd-minute cross was deflected outrageously in to level.
Albion have now drawn with all the top four, having had goalless draws at home to Leeds United and Burnley and also at Sunderland.
But, having been top in mid-September, Carlos Corberan's team have now won just once in 13 games - and are 10 points behind Sheffield United.
It looked comfortable for Albion for the first half-hour as they took a well warranted early lead.
Heggem's header from Alex Mowatt's left-foot inswinging right-wing corner was the summer signing's first goal for the club.
But Albion were pierced by the Blades twice in quick succession - and winger Harrison Burrows was the supply line each time.
First, his low cross cannoned on off two Albion defenders and into the path of O'Hare, who stabbed home as keeper Alex Palmer failed to react.
Then, when the Blades spread it wide again, Burrows was left with too much room and he was able to guide over an even more dangerous delivery, which Campbell coverted.
It was a sixth goal in eight games for the free-transfer August signing, who was allowed to leave Stoke City at the end of last season.
However, in the deteriorating, rain-lashed second-half conditions as Storm Darragh continued to blow fiercely, Albion enjoyed a huge stroke of luck just past the hour.
Fellows' attempted cross from the right corner of the area deflected wickedly into the ground off Gus Hamer and then looped almost comically over keeper Michael Cooper's reach into the top-left corner.
Albion are back in home action again on Wednesday night when they entertain Frank Lampard's Coventry City, before a Sunday lunchtime date at Watford.
The Blades have another tough road trip on Wednesday, at Millwall, followed by Saturday's home game with Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle.
West Bromwich Albion head coach Carlos Corberan told BBC Sport:
"We lost concentration in the box to allow them to score their two goals. It is frustrating.
"In the second half we managed to get back to how we performed in the first 20 minutes."
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder told BBC Sport:
"We were up against a really good team. We knew this was a massive test for us. and we showed great character to overturn a lead the way we did.
"So I'm delighted with that. As far as I'm concerned, that's our best, hardest-earned point of the season. It was so important we got something.
"We could easily have decided it wasn't going to be our day, let's get back on the bus and get home and get in front of the fire. But they didn't.
"It was tough out there. But this side are learning on the job. We had six 22-year-olds on the park at one stage playing against men, in men's conditions. But they fought back and got a result."
Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 27 | 11 | 16 | 39 |
| |
2 | 19 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 33 | 13 | 20 | 38 |
| |
3 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 24 | 7 | 17 | 37 |
| |
4 | 19 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 28 | 14 | 14 | 36 |
| |
5 | 19 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 33 | 22 | 11 | 31 |
| |
6 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 31 |
| |
7 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 26 | 24 | 2 | 30 |
| |
8 | 19 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 29 |
| |
9 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 23 | 28 | -5 | 26 |
| |
10 | 19 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 35 | 30 | 5 | 25 |
| |
11 | 18 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 25 |
| |
12 | 19 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 25 |
| |
13 | 19 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 19 | 18 | 1 | 24 |
| |
14 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 25 | 27 | -2 | 21 |
| |
15 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 24 | -4 | 21 |
| |
16 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 26 | -4 | 20 |
| |
17 | 19 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 26 | -8 | 19 |
| |
18 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 21 | 34 | -13 | 19 |
| |
19 | 18 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 28 | -8 | 18 |
| |
20 | 19 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 26 | -8 | 18 |
| |
21 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 17 | 28 | -11 | 17 |
| |
22 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 18 | 38 | -20 | 17 |
| |
23 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 30 | -9 | 16 |
| |
24 | 19 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 17 | 27 | -10 | 15 |
|
Manager: Carlos Corberán
Formation: 4 - 4 - 2
Manager: Chris Wilder
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Carlos Corberán
Formation: 4 - 4 - 2
Manager: Chris Wilder
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Championship
All competitions
All competitions
All competitions
West Brom have lost each of their last three league games against Sheffield United, with each match ending exactly 2-0. The Baggies have never endured a longer losing streak against this opposition, with this fixture having been played 112 times previously across EFL history.
Sheffield United have lost three of their last five away league games against West Brom (W2), whilst only one of the last eight such fixtures played between these sides have seen both sides score.
West Brom have drawn nine of their last 10 league games (W1), while they could draw five league games in a row at home for the first time since December 2003.
Sheffield United have won six of their last seven league games (D1), keeping five clean sheets in that run. Indeed, no side has recorded more clean sheets in the Championship this term than the Blades (12 – level with Burnley).
After losing his first league meeting with West Brom (2-1 in December 2018), Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has only lost one of his five games against them in the EFL since then, winning three of them (D1).