Sheffield United

By Sam Drury, BBC Sport

After a pair of morale-boosting results prior to the international break, this felt like a damaging defeat for Sheffield United.

Bournemouth started the day four points ahead of the Blades but if this was supposed to be a match between two relegation rivals, it did not look like one.

The visitors were a class above and, in the first half, Paul Heckingbottom's side lacked the intensity to help close the gap.

While the defence was cut open time and again, there was nothing coming from the attack to help relieve the pressure.

It took until the 88th minute for the home side to register a shot on target and by that stage the game was long since lost.

With a huge game at Burnley next weekend, the pressure is on the Blades to rediscover their form prior to the break and prevent the gap to the sides above them quickly becoming unmanageable.

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Latchem, BBC Match of the Day commentator at Brammall Lane:

"A tale of two ends of the ground at the end of the game at Bramall Lane - the home end, thinning rapidly as the final minutes played out were completely deflated seeing their team outplayed on home soil. Many had already left the ground before Oli McBurnie's late consolation header.

"Unsurprisingly, Bournemouth's travelling hoard stayed well beyond the final whistle to serenade their team. And why not?

"Like in the Newcastle game, Bournemouth were worthy winners who could have had more than their final tally. Wes Foderingham dropped a bit of a clanger for their second but did well to deny them a fourth, fifth and perhaps sixth goal.

"Bournemouth are playing their best football since Eddie Howe left in 2020. It's taken time but Andoni Iraola seems to have them purring."

• Having failed to win any of their first nine Premier League games of 2023-24 (D3 L6), Bournemouth have since won three of their last four in the top-flight (L1).

• Bournemouth forward Justin Kluivert became just the second player to score in each of the big 5 European leagues (Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and German Bundesliga) in the 21st century, after Stevan

• Sheffield United have conceded 34 goals in the Premier League this season, the most by a side after 13 games in a top-flight campaign since Barnsley (36) and Sheffield Wednesday (35) both in 1997-98.

• Bournemouth secured their first away Premier League win since a 1-0 win at Southampton in April, winning an away top-flight game by 2 or more goals for the first time since July 2020 (3-1 at Everton).

• The Blades have failed to win any other their last 17 Premier League games when starting the day off the bottom of the table (D2 L15). However, each of their last eight top-flight wins have come when they’ve been bottom.

Justin Kluivert became only the third player to score in Europe's top five leagues as Bournemouth moved seven points clear of the relegation places with a dominant 3-1 win at Sheffield United.

Earlier, Marcus Tavernier had given Andoni Iraola's side an early lead after good work from Antoine Semenyo cutting in from the right, before Kluivert dispossessed Foderingham on the edge of the box to double the lead in first-half stoppage time.

The Blades offered little in an insipid display, and the result was put almost beyond doubt when Tavernier converted Adam Smith's cross at the back post for his second of the afternoon, six minutes into the second half.

Oli McBurnie headed in a consolation in the seventh minute of added time, but the goal was greeted only by ironic cheers from the home supporters.

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

Sheffield United fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here

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

Follow all the reaction here

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

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Live commentaries:

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

This week, he takes on Barry Can't Swim, aka DJ and producer Joshua Mannie - who is an Everton fan.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Both of these teams have improved in recent weeks, so I'm going for another 1-1 draw.

Only joking - I actually think there will be a goal in this, one way or another.

The Blades are in their best form of the season but Bournemouth got a great result against Newcastle United last time out and their fans get pretty angry when I go against them.

It's a tough call but I'm looking for the most likely match-winner and it has to be Cherries striker Dominic Solanke - he can make the difference here.

Barry Can't Swim's prediction: 0-1

I honestly think Sheffield United have played better than their results have suggested, but Bournemouth have hit a bit of form.

Read their full predictions here

Former Sheffield United striker Carl Asaba says Saturday's match against Bournemouth is a chance for Sheffield United to "lay down another marker" in their fight for Premier League survival.

Listen to the full Blades Heaven episode here

Harry De Cosemo, BBC Sport

Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom has been speaking to the media before his side face Bournemouth on Saturday.

• On matches with Bournemouth and Burnley: "We want to keep momentum going. The message hasn’t changed. I’ve taken a lot from the last two games where we’ve kept ourselves in them. That is the message. We could have easily taken points from Tottenham and Manchester City."

• He is hopeful the break will allow the return of key players: "We knew the international break was coming up. Oli McBurnie and Anel [Ahmedhodzic] were not quite ready [for Brighton] so why would we risk that? It was beneficial to give one or two that couple of weeks to get them rested. They are in contention."

• On team morale: "We know it is about results. We are focussing on what we are doing well in games and what we need to improve. The wins are great but we can’t just rely on being the better team to win."

• He is "not interested" in the failed vote to ban affiliated loan moves: "I don’t know which way we voted. If it had directly affected me then I would want to know what’s happening, but I’m not interested in it. It is a minor advantage compared to other things."

• On Bournemouth: "They’ve had moments go their way. They were dominant against Newcastle and the better team against Burnley. We know what we are going to face, they will be an athletic, physical team."

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Rob Staton, BBC Radio Sheffield

Coming off the international break, there's a renewed sense of optimism at Sheffield United. A win against Wolves and a point against Brighton, coupled with Everton’s points deduction, has created a bit more hope among Blades fans that they might just find a way to stay up this year.

They now face two of the biggest games of the season: Bournemouth at home, then Burnley away. Four or six points will obviously have people really believing. Lose both games and we all know what the reaction will be.

With most people believing Everton will find a way to get the points to survive, the four-team mini-league is critical. United, who also face Luton Town on Boxing Day, know the next month is the most important four weeks of the season. So much could be decided here.

Because of this, the international break is dragging. There’s very much a sense of a 'let’s get on with this' feel. People are eager to see what’s going to happen.

England games against Malta and North Macedonia are no distraction. This is it for United. A huge month. Let’s see what they’re capable of.

After all the drama of the past few weeks, and some admittedly poor performances, now we get to learn how likely it is the Blades can stay in the top flight.

Listen to the latest episode of the Blades Heaven podcast on BBC Sounds

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Former Sheffield United striker Carl Asaba says players and fans have become "disillusioned" amid changes in the Premier League.

Speaking on BBC Radio Sheffield's Blades Heaven podcast, Asaba added that he hopes sanctions will be put in place for clubs that break financial rules.

Listen to this week's full episode on BBC Sounds

• Sheffield United have lost just one of their nine home league games against Bournemouth (W5 D3), going down 1-0 in August 1987. They won 2-1 in their only previous Premier League home game against them.

• The Cherries are without a win in an away Premier League game this season (D1 L4) and have shipped 17 goals, the most of any side on the road. There have only been eight instances of a side conceding that many in their first five away Premier League games in a season, and the Cherries make up two of them (also 18 goals in five games in 2022-23).

• The Blades have picked up four points from their past two Premier League games, as many as in their previous 12 at this level (W1 D1 L10). They haven’t gone three games without losing since July 2020 (a run of four).

• Sheffield United have benefited from the most own goals in the Premier League this season (three), and they have accounted for 30% of their goals. It’s already the joint-most own goals they’ve had in their favour in a campaign, along with 2019-20.

• Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke has scored six goals in 12 league appearances this season, as many as he managed in 33 games in 2022-23. His shot conversion rate is at 18% - up from last term's 8%.

Ben Meakin, BladesPod, external

It feels like there's lots up in the air at Sheffield United heading into December, with so much likely to hinge on the next two games against Bournemouth (two places above us) and Burnley (two places below us).

It’s reductive to say that survival or relegation will be determined by those two matches, but the shape of the club could look very different in six months based on how they go.

Poor results in two of the kinder fixtures on the calendar will not only reignite debate about Paul Heckingbottom’s tenure, but there’s also every chance that the United hierarchy will see little point in investing further in the squad in January.

Should United pick up positive results, however – say, extending our unbeaten run to four games, and possibly even sneaking out of the relegation zone – then things could get interesting as we edge towards the next transfer window.

United made slightly baffling use of their loan allocation in the summer. Only one foreign loan was used, while one of the two domestic loan slots was spent on Championship wing-back Luke Thomas.

The opportunity is there - with fairly minimal spend - to bolster the squad with some overseas players who fancy showcasing themselves in the Premier League but won’t leave us on the hook financially should relegation occur anyway.

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Former Blades midfielder Michael Brown recalls deliberately picking up a yellow card to avoid missing an FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Listen to the full episode of BBC Radio Manchester's We're Not Really Here on BBC Sounds

We asked you to come up with one thing you would change about Sheffield United's season so far.

Here are some of your comments:

Andy: While Hecky was not backed in the summer, unfortunately he is the boss and the squad has not responded. He is a great guy, but it’s not going to end well and I would rather give a new manager more time. Therefore, the one thing I would change is not having changed managers soon enough.

Leni: We should not have got rid of Billy Sharp but kept him at the Lane to score more goals in the Premier League. He's quite adapted to play a full game, just as he did for LA Galaxy. Bring him home to play next to Cameron Archer - that would be the perfect match up front.

Gary: I wish we had not sold Iliman Ndiaye. We should have kept him this season even if he went for nothing at the end of the season.

Phil: Pre-season! Losing our best player just before the season started meant we were ill-prepared. The signings we made were quality but we have not had time to work out how to use their strengths yet.

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After a couple of seasons with lots of managerial comings and goings by this stage of the campaign, some changes in the summer for clubs seem to have given some time to some teams. The three managers of the bottom sides themselves would have had a lot of credit in coming up from the Championship.

Looking at it, I think we've seen talk of managers leaving, but again, we've seen teams just wait. Bournemouth for example got a result against Burnley when possibly they might have been thinking 'do we change?'

I just think it's nice to see that clubs are giving these managers more time and not making those rash decisions, that's the most important thing, because who are you going to replace him with? If Manchester United lose to Luton, where are they going to look to change? Who would it have been? So it's nice that we're sitting and giving them a touch more time to think about the situation.

I spoke to a very experienced manager recently and he said jobs are starting to go, people are getting offered in and around, but also said, when you get to that January window is when you see a change as well. Obviously managers will believe they can go and make a difference at that time of the season.

Sometimes if you're a manager wanting to go in and change, you'd rather go in when you know you've got the chance of changing the team a bit closer to what you want. So teams have got to be pulling along and getting results until January and around that time otherwise we will inevitably start seeing some managerial changes.

Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson

It's a strange situation the international break.

The injured players who weren't available to be called up have got no one to bounce off, it's a lonely place. When you're injured it's a lonely place anyway, but in the season you can catch players in the changing room or in the gym, but it's even worse when no one else is around. There's no one to bounce off, you realise you're injured, you realise you can't contribute and it's just a strange place.

For players who are fit but left behind, when it's only half a session and you can't get all the numbers in, you're just waiting for players to return. For teams like Liverpool and Manchester City where nearly all the team is gone there will be a week off in the building before players start coming back in dribs-and-drabs in the the few days before to build-up to the weekend games, so it's strange.

What's difficult is when you have a team like a Nottingham Forest who signed a load of new players on deadline day and then they're off and away, you can't have the two weeks you want to build up and capitalise on it. So while you want them to have international experience, you also want them around to work with them and improve.

For some players who aren't on international duty or injured, you're just looking forward to having three or four days off to go and get some sunshine, so there's many ways to go and do an international break.

Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson

Every club has a dozen games under their belt in the Premier League.

But what’s the one thing you wish you could change about Sheffield United's season?

Was it a poor signing? Disharmony in the boardroom? A player sale that should never have been? Or maybe just some patchy form here and there?

Let us know here

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport football statistician Chris Collinson has been taking a deep look at xG (expected goals) data for this season.

Sheffield United have an xG of 8.1 goals so far this term. That means - excluding penalties - they were expected to score around eight goals from the quality of chances they have had.

That is the worst mark in the Premier League, which points to them struggling to open up the opposition. Altogether they have scored 10 goals, including two penalties.

And, fittingly for a side near the bottom their xG against - so goals they were expected to concede based on chance quality for the opposition - is also the worst in the league on 25.

The numbers show Paul Heckingbottom has problems to solve at both ends of the pitch.

So should he take more risks or tighten things up?

Ben Meakin, BladesPod, external

Delighted as I am to see United go unbeaten in back-to-back games – to say nothing of lifting ourselves off the foot of the Premier League – I still feel like we’re reaching a tipping point with our midfield pairing of Oli Norwood and Vinicius Souza.

United have been very rigid about playing three central midfielders in recent years – with a lot of success. However, losing Tommy Doyle and Sander Berge from last year’s team has left us with a significant downgrade in the middle. Norwood – who I have a lot of respect for, and will rightly go down as a modern Blades legend when he eventually leaves – deservedly lost his place to Doyle at the end of last season and few would have anticipated him being a nailed-on starter in the Premier League.

It’s Norwood’s pairing with Souza that gives me the most concern, though. While Norwood is an excellent passer, he has no dribbling ability, isn’t athletic and isn’t a goal threat. Norwood has started 10 games this season and is yet to complete a single progressive carry with the ball. , externalSouza on the other hand is an athletic defensive midfielder, but is a total non-factor with the ball at his feet.

This pairing is a big reason why we have the lowest carry distance in the league this season by an absurd amount. We’re also the only side to have fewer than 100 progressive carries (the next lowest, Crystal Palace, have 165).

With Bournemouth and Burnley up next, I’d love to see Paul Heckingbottom pull the trigger and break up the uncreative Souza-Norwood axis and get a proper ball-carrier in place of one of them. Moving Gustavo Hamer – one of our better dribblers and progressive passers – into a deeper role, where he’ll see more of the ball, seems like an obvious solution.

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BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty has been taking questions from supporters on Monday.

@Mr_RibZ asked: Which three teams do you think will be relegated this season?

Phil answered: Let me refer back to my pre-season predictions and point out that (not for the first time) I may have blundered on these. My three tips were Luton Town, Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

I went for the first two because I simply was not sure they had the quality and Wolves because at the time they were in turmoil after the departure of Julen Lopetegui.

Wolves will not be going down. Gary O’Neil has demonstrated why I believed it was wrong for Bournemouth to sack him. I thought they were outstanding against Spurs and deserved the win.

I thought Burnley would stay up but now I fear for them because Vincent Kompany has not adapted (not yet at least) to playing in the Premier League. They are simply too open and too easy to score against. The danger is they will be pleasing on the eye all the way back into the Championship.

Unless Kompany changes, I really fear Burnley will go down and I still think Luton and Sheffield United will go – although I think they are showing real fight.

Former Sheffield United forward Carl Asaba told the Blades Heaven podcast that Paul Heckingbottom's side only managed a point away at Brighton because of an unfortunate injury to Vinicius Souza which forced the manager to make tactical tweaks: "It’s a positive but if I’m going to be super critical, I want us to get the wins but I don’t want the wins to be coming from an enforced substitution. That’s what happened there.

"Vinny [Souza] was staying on, but because he got his injury the formation changed, the substitution was made and we went on and got the point. Unless Vinny came off, that was going to persist until they got a second or third.

"But we got a point, it’s another point, we’re keeping a bit of momentum going and hopefully now during the international break we can get some injuries back. Hopefully McBurnie will come back because he really will transform the attacking and the defending.

"The manager now will be getting a pat on the back for getting a point away from home but I felt unless we had that injury, we were staring down the barrel of another defeat because he wasn’t changing the problems we could see from the start."

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