After it was announced on Thursday that Sheffield United will begin the next campaign that they are in the English Football League with a two-point deduction, we want your thoughts on the news.
Are you disappointed with the punishment? Will it have an impact on the rest of this season?
Image source, Getty ImagesSheffield United will be deducted two points at the start of the next season in which they play in the English Football League.
The penalty relates to the Blades defaulting on payments to other clubs during the 2022-23 season, at the end of which they won promotion from the Championship to the Premier League.
A further two-point deduction has been suspended until the end of the season in which the initial deduction is enforced, and will only be imposed if the club defaults on further payments.
The Blades face the prospect of the sanction being applied next season, as they are bottom of the Premier League and nearing relegation to the Championship - they are nine points from safety with seven games left to play.
In a statement, Sheffield United said: "The club has co-operated with the EFL to reach a negotiated settlement on the issues in question.
"While disappointed to have the deduction imposed upon the return to the EFL and highlighting that awaiting overdue monies from several other clubs affected Sheffield United's financial situation, the club took the view that it was better to reach an agreement which minimised the risks of a higher deduction or further transfer embargoes being imposed, and being distracted by lengthy and costly legal proceedings.
"The club is now in a position to close this matter and concentrate on the future."
Henry Brownsey
BBC Sport journalist
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has been speaking to the media before his side face Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.
Here are the main headlines from his news conference:
Defender Jack Robinson will be "given every chance to be involved" after rolling his ankle against Chelsea.
Revisiting last weekend's draw against Chelsea, Wilder said he was not "a massive fan of Sunday games" as he feels the atmosphere and feel around Sunday games are different to a Saturday afternoon or a night match - but he thought the atmosphere was excellent on that occasion.
He joked the club are "on a roll - were unbeaten in one". Wilder said he has been happy with performances but "would have liked to have seen them earlier and been more consistent with it". He also praised the players' attitudes in recent games and said a similar type of performance will be needed to get a result against Brentford.
On the Bees, Wilder said: "I've been incredibly impressed with Thomas [Frank], we've known him since the Championship days, we were battling it out for a couple of seasons with them and I'm delighted that they've got their rewards."
Ivan Toney played under Wilder at Northampton and Wilder said "you could see what he had in his locker. It's taken quite a while for that all to be put together." Wilder added that to stop Toney scoring on Saturday, his defenders and team "need to have a good day".
Wilder compared Toney's journey to the Premier League with Blades strikers William Osula and Daniel Jebbison, and how the pair need to be managed with "time and patience". Wilder said he will use his own "gut feelings and experience on when to play them and when to pull them out and how to deal with them".
Follow Thursday's Premier League news conferences
It might look like it is only showing in the past few games but Sheffield United have always been up for the fight.
Chris Wilder has come in and changed some things around, brought some players in. They have tried to come out and play and take on teams to get the three points but they have been caught out.
After that heavy defeat by Arsenal they had a chance to win against Fulham when VAR prevented them from going 4-1 up. They held their own against Liverpool for a long period of time and then they rallied against Chelsea. There has always been fight at the football club, they just have not had the quality needed.
Is it frustrating it is happening now? They are at a stage where quite a few of these players know they are probably going to be leaving the football club so they are playing as hard as they can to get get the best move possible for themselves.
That is not the only thing spurring them on though, Wilder is also finding the solutions of what is going to work in each game. He was never going to do it that simply straight away. He needed the window to get hold of a few solutions, bring in a striker that works for the team and try and find a formula that works for the group.
When you come in when things are not going so well these things take time. There are still going to be tricky roads but they can cause problems for teams they have coming up like Brentford.
When they set off we all knew it was going to be tough, but we would have all expected them get more than the 16 points,. And that will be the concern.
Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson
Here are the key facts and figures before Saturday's game between Brentford and Sheffield United in the Premier League.
Brentford are winless in their last six league games against Sheffield United (D2 L4) since a 3-1 home win in August 2013. They have lost each of their last three against the Blades.
Sheffield United have not kept a clean sheet away from home in the Premier League since May 2021, in a 1-0 win over Everton. They have conceded in each of their last 16 away games in the top-flight, at an average of 2.3 goals per outing (36 conceded in total).
Brentford are winless in their last nine games in the Premier League (D4 L5), with their last victory coming against Wolves in February (2-0). Should they not win here, it will be the first time since September 2017 in the Championship that they have gone 10 consecutive league matches without a win (a run of 10 under Dean Smith).
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has won all three of his previous league meetings with Brentford’s Thomas Frank (twice in the 2018-19 Championship and 1-0 in this season’s reverse fixture). During his time in English football, the only opposition managers Frank has lost his first four meetings with are Brendan Rodgers and Graham Potter.
Ivan Toney has not scored in any of his last seven Premier League starts for Brentford, despite attempting 21 shots and having 36 touches in the opposition box across those games. This is his longest run of starts without scoring in the competition.
Oliver McBurnie has scored six goals for Sheffield United in the Premier League this season and has never managed more in a single campaign in the competition (also six in 2019-20). However, all of his league goals this term have been scored at Bramall Lane. The Scot has not found the net in any of his last 30 away games in the top-flight.
Ben Meakin
Fan writer
It’s early days, but the start that Oliver Arblaster has made to his Blades career has been a huge source of encouragement for what may follow for the young midfielder and boyhood Blade.
Arblaster’s latest performance was against a Chelsea midfield three that cost over £250m – and he flourished. No player in the league created as many chances in this weekend’s round of fixtures as Arblaster did against the Blues.
I can’t overstate how impressive this is for a teenage midfielder who was on loan in League One earlier this season. He’s been dropped into the central midfield of the worst team in this year’s Premier League, and has immediately looked at home at this level.
Better still, Arblaster looks like a player who doesn’t carry any scars from the rest of the season. He’s playing without fear of failure, trying to progress the ball up the pitch whenever he can without simply passing it off at the first opportunity. Only James McAtee and Gustavo Hamer are creating chances from open play at a higher rate than Arblaster has so far. But he hasn’t been careless in possession either: Arblaster currently has the highest pass completion of any midfielder in the squad this season.
It’s been a superb start for the local lad, and one that gives us fans added hope for what we might see out of him and the team next season.
Ben Meakin can be found on BladesPod, external
We asked for your thoughts on Sunday's Premier League game between Sheffield United and Chelsea.
Here are some of your responses:
Sheff Utd fans
Andy: Pity we didn’t start the season with the same determination and mindset. Effort was outstanding and I would say we looked the better side, other than Chelsea had better individual players.
Bob: The Blades gave all they had in a determined and exciting performance. This seemed miles away from the humiliating hammerings from the likes of Newcastle and Arsenal. Well done, you Blades - you actually made us fans proud!
Green: Brilliant, fighting performance from the boys. If only we had this all season we might not have gone down. On to Brentford now!
Mandy: Absolutely outstanding. Brilliant team performance. Midfield totally fantastic. Osbourne and Arblaster really stood out. UTB.
Chelsea fans
Nic: Normal service is resumed. Poor substitution decisions by Pochettino and even worse timings. Sunday afternoon stroll again for the five same players. Do management not watch re-runs of the games? Or are they totally oblivious to those same players continuously only giving 50%. When is the wake-up?
Jason: There is no real change from the beginning of the season. A manager who still hasn’t decided on who our best XI are and whose ideas are technically short of the mark. Yes, we have a young side who are still learning, but how many will wait until we have a leader who can successfully show them the way. Roll on the end of the season!
Matt: Really poor. Thursday's match was a waste of time with the three points we got. I also cannot understand how we couldn't see the game out at the end. It pains me to say it, but I think that our season may be over. Pochettino needs to be sacked for how badly we have performed throughout the season. He is too tactically inept - it's unreal.
Sharif: Honestly, beyond a joke now for Chelsea. Manager needs to go, no gameplan and again subs too late. Poch has had a path to some form of European football on a plate twice this season and has bottled it both times.
Watch the best of the action from Sheff Utd v Chelsea on Match of the Day 2 on BBC iPlayer
Image source, PA MediaEx-West Ham midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker says Sheffield United have "learned a hard lesson" in the Premier League this season.
A late Oli McBurnie equaliser against Chelsea on Sunday made it three draws in their past five games. The Blades also performed well in defeat at Anfield on Thursday.
However, despite that uptick in form, they remain nine points from safety with just seven games remaining.
"It is too late to start fighting now," Reo-Coker told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "You want to be in the Premier League? Don't leave it until the final seven or eight games to show some character.
"The quality isn't quite there but they never looked like they had the identity to stick to what they are - hard-working, grinding out results and getting in people's faces.
"They got flattered into thinking they were Premier League players and they have learned a hard lesson."
Mark Chapman introduces highlights and analysis from Sunday's three Premier League fixtures.
If you missed Match of the Day 2, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer.
Listen back to Sunday's BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra match commentary in full:
Harry Poole
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesSince suffering the third in a series of heavy home defeats - a 6-0 thrashing by Arsenal - at the start of March, Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder will be satisfied with the response his side have shown.
Despite their desperate position at the foot of the table, with an immediate return to the Championship looming, the Blades backed up draws against Bournemouth and Fulham by giving title-chasing Liverpool a scare in midweek and earning a hard-fought draw with Chelsea on Sunday.
Oli McBurnie's stoppage-time equaliser was a deserved reward for United's efforts - and the fight shown by the players was not lost on the Bramall Lane crowd who rallied behind the hosts with Chelsea appearing vulnerable.
While the point barely improves their situation - they are nine points adrift of safety with 21 points available - Wilder will hope they can maintain this level of performance for the remainder of the campaign to ensure they arrive at a summer rebuild with optimism.
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has been speaking to Sky Sports after clinching a late draw against the Blues: "I think it was a deserved result.
"Second half was really good but I am disappointed in the first goal. We all look at set plays up-and-down the country and we all know how important they are - it is disappointing to get done again.
"First 15 minutes, I didn't like our performance. After that, I liked our performance - full of personality.
"I would have been devastated if we didn't get a result out of that game.
"I am looking at our individual team performance. We were really good against some big players and collectively we were the better team.
"We have talked about it after the Liverpool game and we went deep into that game. We had two good performances against Fulham and Bournemouth, we deserved a better points return.
"We all know the intensity of the division and we move on to Brentford next week. The belief will hopefully be good, they have shown a lot of qualities.
"There is a load of games left and we approach the next game as the most important and see if we can go get a result.
"The performance of the players ignited the crowd and the crowd lifted the players when it was needed."
Here are the key facts and figures following Sunday’s game between Sheffield United and Chelsea in the Premier League.
Chelsea have drawn three successive away games in the Premier League for the first time since September 2000. Meanwhile, the Blues have conceded 27 away goals in the top-flight this term, their most after 15 away games of a league season since 1990-91 (32 goals).
Sheffield United have conceded 47 Premier League goals at Bramall Lane this season, the most ever by a home side in a single campaign in the competition. It is the most by an English top-flight club, on home soil, in a season since 1960-61 (Chelsea 48 goals and Newcastle 49 goals).
Noni Maduke's goal, assisted by Cole Palmer, was the 14th time Chelsea had a Premier League goal both scored and assisted by players aged 22 or younger this season.
Thiago Silva (39y 198d) became the third-oldest player to score away from home in the Premier League, after Teddy Sheringham (39y 343d) and Dean Windass (39y 235d).
Sheffield United netted their third ever 90th minute equaliser in a Premier League match, while all three have been scored by Oli McBurnie (also v Manchester United in November 2019 and West Ham United in January 2024).
Gustavo Hamer has five assists in the Premier League this season, the most by a Sheffield United player across a single campaign in the competition since Dane Whitehouse in 1993-94 (six assists).
Sheffield United striker Oli McBurnie has been speaking after securing a late draw for the Blades at Bramall Lane: "The last few games, we have been there or thereabouts. The boys put in excellent effort against Liverpool and now it is nice to get something for the fans.
"We always say, at home, we fancy ourselves against anyone, but that hasn't always been the case this season. We need to make here a tough place for others to come.
"We need to start games off solid, work our way into games and, when it opens up, then get on the ball more.
"There is still plenty of games to play and it is about building on the performances. We are not looking too far ahead."
Oli McBurnie scored an injury-time equaliser for relegation-threatened Sheffield United as Chelsea's hopes of securing European football suffered a blow.
Mauricio Pochettino's ninth-placed visitors were unable to maintain momentum following their dramatic last-gasp comeback win over Manchester United on Thursday.
Instead, just three days later, they fell victim to a late sucker-punch as McBurnie fired in from close-range in the 93rd minute to earn a point for the Premier League's bottom side.
Noni Madueke's excellent finish midway through the second half - the England youth international cutting inside and curling an excellent finish past Ivo Grbic - had put Chelsea on course for victory.
The Blues took an 11th-minute lead when Thiago Silva was allowed to side-foot in Conor Gallagher's corner unchallenged, but Jayden Bogle beat Djordje Petrovic at his near post to bring the Blades level.
The increasing belief in Chris Wilder's players was evident as the Bramall Lane crowd rallied behind their side - and they were rewarded for their persistence by a moment of celebration in an otherwise difficult season.
Sheffield United remain bottom of the table, nine points adrift of safety with 21 points still to fight for.
Were you at the match or did you follow it from elsewhere?
United fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here
Three matches make up Sunday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.
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Chris Sutton is making predictions for every Premier League game this season against a variety of guests.
For this weekend's games, he takes on darts stars Luke Littler and Nathan Aspinall, who both support Manchester United.
Sutton's prediction: 1-3
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino was as pumped up after Thursday's dramatic win over Manchester United as I've seen him since Lucas Moura's goal when his Tottenham side beat Ajax in the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.
I felt for Pochettino because his side were 2-0 up and cruising until Moises Caicedo gifted United a way back into the game. For the score to be 2-2 at half-time, he must have been tearing his hair out.
Chelsea have got a real naivety about them defensively but they still found a way to win, and they have still got a sniff of finishing high enough to qualify for Europe - which would be really remarkable given the season they have had.
I still think it is last week's 2-2 draw with Burnley that sums their campaign up though, which means there is a chance they could follow Thursday by stuffing things up here.
The way I'd describe Chelsea right now is as a team that is still learning. Pochettino has made some pretty pointed comments about how his players need to work as hard out of possession as they do when they have the ball, and that applies whoever the opposition are.
They should really beat bottom side Sheffield United but they need to keep their focus and maintain their intensity.
I don't feel it's the case that the Blades are running out of time to save themselves from relegation, because I think that's inevitable. It's really just a matter of when they go down, not if.
Littler's prediction: 0-1
Aspinall's prediction: 2-2
Manager Chris Wilder has been speaking to the media before Sheffield United host Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday (17:30 BST kick-off).
Here are the main headlines from his news conference:
Striker Cameron Archer will "definitely be involved" against the Blues after being out of action for almost two months because of a calf injury. Gustavo Hamer is also expected to be available after sustaining a minor injury in Thursday's loss at Liverpool.
On Archer's absence and return, Wilder said: "Cameron has been a major signing for Sheffield United and to not have him available for about six weeks has been a big blow. To have him back is great - he can get us up the pitch and score us a goal."
Wilder said the Blades can take heart from the defensive part of their performance at Anfield: "We showed some good signs in terms of our structure and, most importantly, our attitude to defending. We have to produce these types of performances and give ourselves a platform to get a result."
On the approach to the final eight games of the season: "We've tried to get results right the way through. I don't think there's been an attitude change. The opposition's strengths at times overcome anything you've got and sometimes it looks like you're not trying or you don't care, but I certainly don't believe that's the case. There have possibly been moments this season when the team should have done better and maybe have felt sorry for themselves through those periods. But the Premier League is ruthless, relentless and absolutely kills you when you're not on it."
Wilder continued: "We have everything to play for in the last eight games. We've got a responsibility, first and foremost, to our supporters to give our best in every game. What I've seen in the past three games is certainly a reaction to a disappointing night at home to Arsenal. We need to show those qualities going forward."
On Sunday's opponents Chelsea: "They're still in with a European shout and you look at the amazing squad strength and quality they possess - people can talk about them not being at their best and being inconsistent, but they can hurt you. We can take a lot from the past three games, especially our last home performance, and hopefully get something from the game."
Follow Friday's Premier League news conferences
Here are the key facts and figures before Sunday's game between Sheffield United and Chelsea in the Premier League.
Sheffield United lost 2-1 the last time they hosted Chelsea in the Premier League - they most recently lost back-to-back home league games against the Blues in October 1965.
Chelsea have won six of their past eight Premier League games against Sheffield United, having lost their first three.
The Blades have conceded 50 goals at home this season, becoming just the second Premier League club to do so, after Derby County in 2007-08 (51).
Chelsea have not kept a clean sheet in any of their past 11 away Premier League matches, their worst run without a clean sheet on the road since going 12 in a row between December 2019 and September 2020.
Oli McBurnie has been involved in seven goals in his past seven home league appearances for United (five goals, two assists). In the five games he has scored in at Bramall Lane, he has not ended on the winning side (D2 L3), with only Dougie Freedman in 1998-99 scoring in more home games in a season without winning (six).
Cole Palmer has been involved in 11 goals in his past 11 away Premier League appearances for the Blues (five goals, six assists). He is the first player aged 21 or younger to score five or more goals and assist five or more goals away from home in a season since Dele Alli for Tottenham in 2016-17, also under Mauricio Pochettino.
Former Sheffield United striker Carl Asaba told BBC Radio Sheffield's Blades Heaven podcast that Chris Wilder's team deserved the positive reaction from their supporters after their 3-1 defeat at Anfield on Thursday: "They really put in a good performance. They were unfortunate, at the start, not to take the lead and then it was an unfortunate goal to give away.
"But they didn't grumble. They stuck at it and they kept the same. It was a good team performance. The second-half was much better and there were some really good individual performances in there.
"I was a little bit disappointed with Vini [Vinicius Souza], but that's just me. It's just because I think he is a lot better than what he showed against Liverpool.
"But I think that it was a really good performance and that is why the Blades fans clapped the players off. It was an honest performance against one of the best teams in the world.
"They just ran out of steam. Of course you will, especially when you have players like Cody Gakpo coming on. It is tough, but the boys can be proud of what they did."
Asaba also praised the "real potential threats" Sheffield United currently have in their front line: "Ben Brereton Diaz - he is great to watch because, even in a match as difficult as this, he offers a threat. He is a willing worker, he is awkward to play against, he is big and strong but he is really quick, he grafts. He has got the ability, so you have always got an out ball.
"You have got the quality of [James] McAtee there. I thought [Jayden] Bogle was outstanding when he had the ball in dangerous areas, his delivery was really good, he had a really good strike as well.
"So, there is a lot of positives there.
"The performance warranted merit and a positive response. Hopefully they can take this on and end the season playing consistently and being in consistent form."
I have been in lots of relegation battles. I got relegated in my first year in the Premier League with Manchester City when I was only a teenager. I had to deal with that adversity so I know what it is like.
I do not think people crack or feel anxious in relegation fights, but you know when you are beaten. It is hard to fully motivate yourself as a team to get the desire to go back out there.
In these battles there are always people complaining and there are changes too. Managers are under pressure and fans add pressure as well.
There is no doubt that it is difficult.
There might not be a lot of hope for those teams in the relegation zone at the moment, but those players will still want to be playing in the Premier League next season. So they still have to use this time to shine because they inevitably will want a move back to a top-flight club.
Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford
