Sheffield United 2-0 Cardiff City: Blades Keep Automatic Promotion Hopes Alive | OneFootball

Sheffield United got back to winning ways after securing a 2-0 win against Cardiff City at Bramall Lane.

Gustavo Hamer netted the opening goal of the game when a Tyrese Campbell shot deflected wide of goal, United’s attacking midfielder latched onto the spinning ball and poked it beyond the Cardiff goalkeeper at the near post.

The Blades had to wait until the 87th minute to get their second, substitute Kieffer Moore saw his shot deflect across to fellow sub Ben Brereton Diaz who then thrashed the ball into the net at the kop end.

Chris Wilder hinted at changes in his pre-match press conference, and he made four of them. Jack Robinson dropped to the bench and was replaced by Rob Holding. Rhian Brewster and Tyrese Campbell both came into the starting eleven in place of Callum O’Hare and Tom Cannon. Hamza Choudhury also came in for Femi Seriki at right-back.

Lineups

Blades: Cooper, Holding (Robinson 85) Brewster (O’Hare 64), Hamer (Seriki 85), Rak-Sakyi (Brereton Diaz 77), Burrows, Ahmedhodzic, Souza, Campbell (Moore 64) Choudhury, Peck.

Unused: A. Davies, McCallum, Cannon, Brooks.

Cardiff: Horvath, Fish, O’Dowda, Chambers, Mannsverk (Colwill 77, Bagan 89), Robertson (Turnbull 68), Meite, Salech, Alves (Willock 45), Tanner (Ashford 45), Rinomhota.

Unused: Turner, Goutas, Daland, Simic.

First Half

After a poor start to the first half for both sides, the breakthrough came when Gustavo Hamer displayed his class, smartly flicking the ball through Cardiff goalkeeper Ethan Horvath’s legs for the only shot on target before the interval, following a Tyrese Campbell deflected shot.

While the game lacked clear-cut chances, both sides had brief glimpses of promise, but Hamer came closest as he nearly doubled his tally with a sublime free-kick that kissed the outside of the post, leaving Horvath rooted to the spot.

At the opposite end, Cardiff showed signs of promise when Alves found himself in the penalty area, only to be halted by a perfectly timed tackle from Choudhury which poked the ball out of Alves’ feet.

Second Half

The second half began with more urgency. Sheffield United pushed forward through Peck, who sparked a flowing move that saw Burrows test Horvath with a sharp effort inside the area following a neat exchange with Campbell.

Cardiff, to their credit, remained a threat on the counter and from crossing situations. Defender Fish came closest to levelling the score when he volleyed over from a corner, signalling the visitors’ intent to fight until the final whistle.

But with time running out, it was substitute Ben Brereton Diaz who put the result beyond doubt. A deflected shot from Kieffer Moore fell kindly to him on the break, and the forward made no mistake, slotting home in the 87th minute to seal a hard-fought 2-0 win for the Blades.

The Blades keep their automatic promotion hopes alive as they head to Turf Moor on Easter Monday knowing anything other than three points would see them settle for a play-off campaign.