Sheffield United

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Sheffield United striker Ben Brereton Diaz says the Blades need to "keep fighting" after their narrow defeat by Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

The 3-2 loss left the club rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, nine points away from safety, but Brereton Diaz still has confidence in the team to get results in upcoming games.

Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield's Blades Heaven podcast, the 24-year-old said: "We felt confident coming in, we always feel confident. We felt confident we could come here and do a job. They've got some brilliant players, we can all see that, but we gave them a real tough time.

"We've got to keep our heads high, keep going and keep fighting because this team has been brilliant at that."

Despite the defeat, the Chile international - who joined the club on loan at the beginning of January - has made a positive start to life with the Blades having scored two goals in his first two Premier League games.

"I've really enjoyed myself these three weeks I've been at Sheffield United, settled in really nicely and the lads have been great with me. I'm excited for the games to come, we need some big performances and big wins," he added.

"I've played against Sheffield United a lot of times so I know a lot of the lads and I know what Sheffield United stands for as a team, I know what the fans expect.

"Everyone looking in can see the West Ham and Brighton matches, we've made a good account of ourselves. Obviously at the end of the day football is about winning games and getting points so it is a big few weeks for us and we're not focusing on anyone else, we're just focusing on ourselves going game-by-game and hopefully we'll get the job done in those games."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

We asked you for your thoughts on Tuesday's match between Crystal Palace and Sheffield United.

Here are some of your comments:

Palace fans

Sam: Bizarre game really. Palace were totally reliant on the class of Eze and Olise. There was not a lot of overall team structure, especially without the ball. Great to see Ozoh getting more game time, he looks a real talent. Sheffield United showed heart but were defensively very poor. We won't win many games defending like we did in this one.

Lee: Olise and Eze were a different class. Both are worth £80m each to us. Why did Roy put Schlupp on when Franca was a like-for-like substitute? I don't know. It just proves how stubborn and stuck in his ways he is.

Simon: We won, but once again it was a struggle. This doesn't bode well for Roy. Only a dominant win would ease the pressure and I don't think this performance alone will do that. Better teams will pick us off. Now we've got some key matches against Burnley, Everton and Brighton. A minimum of seven points are needed. We are a two-man team which, after 10 years and heavy investment, isn't good enough.

Daniel: It's great to get the win but, the way the game ended, I felt like Palace drew. I love Roy, I will always love Roy, but those substitutes just killed everything going for us. If Olise had to go off, bring on Franca. If Eze had to go off, bring on Edouard. Richards is a decent centre-back, a good central-midfielder, but is exposed badly as a right-back.

Sheffield United fans

Tom: Glimmers of hope but it’s hope for next season in the Championship. This is progress, we looked like we were a League One side earlier in the season. I'm still astonished by how little we get from the referees though. We get yellows for the slightest touch and no fouls the other way. It’s not like opponents need help to beat us.

Andrew: Palace were far superior. We got lucky with the second goal. Chris Wilder is the wrong choice for us, he should never have been asked back.

Alex Howell, BBC Sport

Sheffield United's start in the match against Crystal Palace could not have gone any better. The Blades took the lead after just 20 seconds thanks to Ben Brereton Diaz's strike.

However, Chris Wilder's side could not seperate themselves from Crystal Palace even though they took the lead for a second time through Jason McAtee.

Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze produced three moments of brilliance to get Crystal Palace all three points.

The Sheffield United boss could not be too critical of his side saying "those boys (Olise and Eze) can destroy your game plan with individual brilliance" and that the Palace pair would cost a minimum of £50m each.

The result leaves Sheffield United nine points from safety and they have a massive task ahead if they are to get out of the relegation zone.

Image source, Getty Images

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It just shows the ruthless nature of the Premier League. I wish Michael Olise could have made his comeback at the weekend instead of coming back tonight!

"We got off to a fabulous start. We talk about our competitiveness and attitude that we need to bridge the gap. That gap is two £50m players. Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, and you've also got Jefferson Lerma and Marc Guehi who is a centre-half for England, and Joachim Andersen who is one of the best centre-backs in Europe. That's what you're up against.

"We tried to bridge the gap, second half we got close. But when they find that little bit of magic. The cross off Olise, the finish off Eze, or the other finish by Olise. They find that bit to get in front.

"We can't score two goals away from home and come away with nothing. Unfortunately we have done and that's the life and times of trying to be in the Premier League.

"There's no talk about league position or points difference, we're talking about performance. We just have to go again against Villa on Saturday. It's a great game for us. We can't take a step back. We believed we could get a result here. But we have to do things better defensively, and do better things when we have the opportunity to punish them."

• Crystal Palace have won four consecutive league games against Sheffield United for the first time since August 1991.

• Sheffield United have won just 10 points from their opening 22 Premier League games this season, which is the Blades’ second-worst ever points tally at this stage of a league season in the top four tiers (after only six points at this stage in 1975-76).

• Including two tonight, Michael Olise has assisted Eberechi Eze seven times in the league, the joint-most one Crystal Palace player has assisted a single teammate in the competition, along with Andros Townsend for Christian Benteke and James McArthur for Wilfried Zaha.

• Ben Brereton’s opener after just 20 seconds was Sheffield United's earliest ever goal in the Premier League on record (since 2006-07), while it was also the quickest ever goal on record that Crystal Palace have conceded in the competition.

Michael Olise scored the winning goal on his return from injury as Crystal Palace came from behind twice to secure a vital win over Sheffield United in the Premier League at Selhurst Park.

Were you at the match or did you follow it from elsewhere?

Palace fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here

How did you rate the side's performance, Blades fans?

Follow all of the reaction here

There are five games being played in the Premier League on Tuesday and we will bring you every moment.

Listen to match commentaries and follow text updates here

All times are GMT

Ben Meakin, BladesPod, external

It’s been a muddled transfer window from Sheffield United, signalling a club seemingly caught between knowing the prudence of preparing for next season and also wanting to at least be competitive for the rest of this one.

The Blades have spent money on a goalkeeper, Ivo Grbic, with all three of our other goalkeepers out of contract in the summer. Hopefully Grbic will be a success, but the fact that our previous number one, Wes Foderingham, has immediately requested a loan move away suggests that signing his replacement was either a snap decision or poorly communicated internally.

Bringing in highly rated youngster Sam Curtis also looks a good move for the future, as does the ongoing contract negotiations with academy products Oliver Arblaster and Dan Jebbison.

Cutting ties with on-loan Luke Thomas made sense and that frees up a precious domestic loan slot. However, four weeks later and we still haven't used it, as another two potentially winnable Premier League games drift by.

The only other incoming so far has been Ben Brereton Diaz, who certainly looks like improving us in the short term. But that's also the problem: he's only here for the short term, with no option to buy at the end of his loan spell.

His signing sticks out like a sore thumb, particularly as he was brought in at the start of the window as United dipped further into their allocation of overseas loans.

I thought it was going to signal the club making a clutch of short-term, low-cost additions to at least save face the rest of the way.

Instead, there is only one more expected arrival, albeit on loan, which leaves me wondering what the point is?

It felt like the options were to either accept the inevitable and spend as little as possible, or rage against the dying of the light and spend a modest amount to get better for the last few months of the season.

In the end, we have committed to neither transfer plan.

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches again this season, against a variety of guests.

For this week's midweek games - on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - he takes on Chelsea fan Matthew Vaughn, director of new spy film Argylle.

Sutton's prediction: 1-0

This is a massive game for Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder because of how badly his side need a result, but it is also huge for Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson.

I just wonder what the atmosphere will be like at Selhurst Park and whether the Eagles fans will really get behind Hodgson after their protests against Arsenal in their last league game.

They need to, whatever they think about the overall direction of the club, because Palace are in danger of getting dragged into the relegation mire.

On the pitch, the return of Michael Olise from injury would be a massive boost for Hodgson and, if he is fit enough to start, he will probably be the difference-maker in this one, along with Eberechi Eze.

Sheffield United won't lack commitment - we know that - but again it is a lack of quality that lets them down. I've spoken about Nottingham Forest and Everton becoming desperate, but the Blades are bottom of the table and are already at that stage.

Vaughn's prediction: Both of these teams are struggling so I am going to go for a draw. 0-0

See the full list of predictions

• Crystal Palace have won their past three Premier League games against Sheffield United, keeping a clean sheet each time. They last won four consecutive league games against the Blades between 1987 and 1991.

• The Blades have won just one of their last six away league games against Palace, a 1-0 victory in the Premier League in February 2020.

• All seven Premier League meetings between Crystal Palace and Sheffield United have been won, with the winning side keeping a clean sheet each time. It is the most played fixture in the competition's history to never have both teams score in a game.

• The Blades have scored fewer (17) and conceded more (51) Premier League goals than any other side this season. They are the only side yet to score in the opening 30 minutes of a match so far, with their earliest strike coming in the 33rd minute (Cameron Archer v Everton in September).

• Palace midfielder Jefferson Lerma has the highest expected goals total among all Premier League players yet to score this season (2.1). He has had 22 shots without finding the net so far.

• Ben Brereton Diaz scored for Sheffield United on his Premier League debut against West Ham last time out. The only player to score in both of their first two Premier League games for the Blades was Brian Deane back in August 1992.

Chris Wilder has spoken to the media before Sheffield United's trip to Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

Here are the main lines from his news conference:

• On transfer targets, Wilder said: "It's vital we have someone that has played in this division or played at a level that is equivalent to the Premier League. We are working frantically to improve our group and hopefully we will do that before the window closes."

• Wilder confirmed January signing Ivo Grbic will be the Blades' first choice goalkeeper: "Wes [Foderingham] asked the question, would he be available to go out on loan and I said 'listen let's see what happens and see who comes to the table on that'. I was up front with Wes, always have been in terms of what we were doing. I am not going to see ourselves light either, I put myself out there and said Ivo [Grbic] will be number one."

• Wilder is adamant Grbic's debut, in which he conceded five goals, will not knock his confidence: "He's a really positive guy. He'll be a bit disappointed with the fifth goal, but no fault of his own for the result. Ivor will be OK, I made the decision to give him his debut and he'll be better for that going into Tuesday's game."

• Wilder was in full praise of opposition manager Roy Hodgson as he faces growing pressure at Selhurst Park: "The noise is always there. It's not for me to tell anyone how to do their job and certainly not Roy with what he's achieved with his career. I believe he's a fantastic manager and I'd take what he's done in a heartbeat. He's an outstanding manager and an outstanding man."

• On January signing Ben Brereton Diaz, Wilder said: "Ben has been a dream singing, and he's going to go from strength to strength. We've had to be careful in terms of his minutes because he hasn't played much at Villarreal. He's a powerful boy with good ability and fabulous character."

Listen to Blades Heaven on BBC Sounds to hear Wilder's full news conference

Former Sheffield United striker Carl Asaba says the Blades "got a lesson in decision-making" in their FA Cup fourth round defeat to Brighton on Saturday.

"Brighton played really well," Asaba told BBC Radio Sheffield's Blades Heaven.

"We should've scored two goals before they scored their 35-yard wonder-goal. That's what I'm taking away from this.

"We got a lesson in decision-making by players who are really comfortable on the ball. Brighton had so many options and they were picking the right pass. When we got into the final third, invariably we were picking the wrong pass or we weren't executing it well enough.

"But we still had 13 shots on goal. What the manager is trying to get through to the players, they are taking on board and they are executing it up to a certain point really well. But, we are Premier League level now, we have to take more chances because the other teams will.

"If you give another team five chances, they are normally going to score two or three. So, if you're creating 13 chances, you have got to be getting those. Sheffield United created 13 good chances against one of the better Premier League teams.

"Of course they are going to rue that they've missed them, but we've got to take positives from it. The boys have got to keep working harder, taking on what the manager is telling them because he's getting them into the right areas, and being more clinical.

"This is their level now. If you're not being clinical, people will start thinking about whether this actually is your level."

Listen to the full post-match podcast on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts on Saturday's FA Cup game between Sheffield United and Brighton.

Here are some of your views:

Sheffield United fans

Green: Good performance from the Blades but not clinical enough in front of goal. I don’t think Brighton deserved all five goals but they were more composed with the ball and deserved to win. We’ve got to forget about this and focus on the league now.

Alan: Brighton took their chances - we didn't. Not a good start for our new goalkeeper and I didn't like the way he walked around the pitch with the rest of the team applauding the crowd after the game but halfway round just walked across the pitch and down the tunnel on his own! The less said about VAR the better. Get rid of it, please.

John: The referee was absolutely awful. He is definitely not fit for the job. Every decision went Brighton’s way and they certainly shouldn’t have had any of their penalties.

Brighton fans

Nicolas: What a game. Brighton showed what they can achieve. Pedro was my man of the match, without a doubt. He has adapted so well. Into the fifth round.

Seagull: The gulf in class between the two sides was clear in the second half. The Blades ran out of ideas in the end but at 2-2 they looked well in it. Albion were guilty of thinking the game was over at 2-0 and we should know from earlier in the season that they never give up. Into the last 16 and hoping for a home tie against anyone apart from Manchester City!

Steven: A great performance. Our attacking players were flying and Joao Pedro desevered that hat-trick. Another exciting cup tie and hopefully we get a favourable draw in the next round.

Davie: Billy Gilmour. He's gone unrecognised, but he makes it all look so easy!

Image source, Getty Images

Tim Oscroft, BBC Sport

For United, at the foot of the Premier League table, it was ultimately another dispiriting result after they had fought back so well late in the first half.

The Blades had looked a long way off the pace until two goals at the end of the first half brought them right back into the tie.

Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen could only parry William Osula's low cross back out to Gustavo Hamer, who made no mistake at the first time of asking, only to then have to wait for video assistant referee (VAR) to confirm the goal after a check for offside.

Osula, who had been the Blades' liveliest player, then drew the home side level when he headed Jayden Bogle's cross home, with the goal confirmed after another VAR check.

But Bogle's handball when challenging Evan Ferguson in the air gave Pedro the chance to put the visitors ahead again and once he had done so in clinical fashion, Chris Wilder's side looked like the ones who had been second best for much of the first half aside from a chance for a late consolation when James McAtee's shot hit the underside of the bar but did not cross the goal line.

Their focus must now shift to Premier League survival. In two of their next three outings, they face fellow strugglers, with a trip to Crystal Palace on Tuesday (20:00 GMT) and to Luton on 10 February, with Aston Villa visiting in between (17:30).

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder speaking to BBC Sport: "It is what it is. They are through to the next round and we're not. We understand the qualities that the manager and the players bring to Brighton. They are a real good footballing side and better teams than us have struggled with the way they play. For me, looking inwards at our game, [they were] some poor goals.

"Two penalties, a couple of opportunities to deal with certain situations that have led to the goals. I'm delighted that we gave everything as we always do, delighted that we got ourselves back into the game just before half-time, then looking forward to a really positive second half, but then the goal has obviously really knocked us back again.

"Brighton are going to dominate passes and possession, we all know that. They do that to better teams, more established teams, bigger quality teams than us, week in week out. That's the reason they've got themselves into Europe this season. They are a successful side but, if we showed a bit more quality in the box and didn't give them a helping hand, it might have been a little bit tighter."

On the two penalties: "I've got an issue with the referee's performance, I thought he was really poor. Put him out to referee our game again to try and see if he's alright for the Premier League."

On William Osula: "He won't be getting another one [a goal in the FA Cup] this season, will he? We're competitors, we want to win a game of football. We have to park this quickly, we understand that. We have some good young players here- they are learning at the highest level. Will is learning against the likes of them, so great experience for him.

"The young boys will learn from this experience as well so we need to be better. We've got them [again] in a few weeks so we'll need to be better then, on certain occasions, but we have to quickly move on to Tuesday night."

In-form striker Joao Pedro hit a hat-trick to help Brighton knock struggling Sheffield United out of the FA Cup.

The Brazilian netted a penalty in each half before scoring his third goal with a shot from the edge of the area.

Brighton led through Facundo Buonanotte's brilliant opener before the first of Pedro's spot-kicks.

The Blades levelled before the break through Gustavo Hamer and William Osula, but Pedro and a late goal from Danny Welbeck clinched it for Brighton.

Were you at the match or did you follow it from home?

Blades fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here

How did you rate the side's performance, Brighton fans?

Follow all of the reaction here

Sheffield United are hosting Brighton at Bramall Lane in the FA Cup fourth-round, with kick-off less than an hour away.

Get all the build-up followed by live text updates here

This week, BBC Football expert Chris Sutton is taking on Justin and Arni from indie band The Vaccines to predict the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Sheffield United host Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday (15:00 GMT)

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Chris Wilder is getting a tune out of Sheffield United. They were fortunate to draw against West Ham, but they did play well and created plenty of chances.

The outcome here depends on Wilder, and whether he is looking to build a bit of momentum and thinks the FA Cup could provide that. They need a spark from somewhere but, again, they are in action in the league on Tuesday when they go to Crystal Palace, so that is going to affect his thinking.

As for Brighton, they are firing blanks - I am not sure what has happened to the great entertainers, because they have failed to score in their past two league matches.

I have a feeling the Seagulls will find the net this time, though - and find a way to get through.

Justin's prediction: 0-1

Brighton to edge it.

Arni's prediction: 0-1

Yeah, it's going to be close.

Read the full predictions.