Blades Boss Demands Sheffield United Players to “Train Like Winners And Act Like Winners” In Preparation For Play-off Final | OneFootball

Sheffield United stormed into the Championship play-off final with a dominant 3-0 victory over Bristol City at Bramall Lane, sealing a remarkable 6-0 aggregate triumph, the largest winning margin in Championship play-off semi-final history.

The tie was virtually over by the 41st minute as the hosts, already holding a 3-0 advantage from the first leg, struck again. Harrison Burrows delivered a pinpoint corner that Kieffer Moore powered in with a clinical header from close range to make it 1-0 on the night.

After the break, Sheffield United kept their foot on the gas. Another corner caused havoc in the Bristol City box, and when the ball broke to Gustavo Hamer on the edge, his effort took a heavy deflection off Ross McCrorie and looped over Max O’Leary to double the lead.

The home crowd sensed another goal, and the Blades nearly got it when young midfielder Sydie Peck went close after some slick interplay. But it was substitute Callum O’Hare who once again made an impact off the bench. With seven minutes to go, he latched onto a well-worked move involving Tyrese Campbell and a clever dummy from Burrows to sweep home the third goal, matching the scoreline from the first leg and capping off a dominant display.

Chris Wilder’s men will now face Sunderland at Wembley, after the Black Cats edged past Coventry City with Dan Ballard’s dramatic 122nd-minute winner securing a 3-2 aggregate victory.

Chris Wilder Reflects on Sheffield United’s Resounding Win Over Bristol City

Speaking after United’s resounding win over the Robins, Chris Wilder reflected on the pressure his team faced despite their first-leg lead:

“It was a tough evening for us, not one I’ve experienced before, being 3-0 up because we had everything to lose, they had everything to gain, so we touched on that.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Liam [Manning] and his side, they are awkward to play against as we’ve seen in all four games, but we just had to get the job done. We had a dream of getting to Wembley to be one game away from the Premier League again and we’ve executed it in front of our own punters, so it is a fabulous evening.”

He praised the mentality of his squad since their defeat to Burnley: “Our attitude since the Burnley game has been spot on, we reset and focused mentality and physically the players are in good shape. We’ve been in a good place, but this was an awkward game. The first goal was crucial after getting through the first 20 minutes when we weren’t great and we found a way.”

Time Will Fly For Sheffield United in Preparation For Championship Play-off Final

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – MAY 12: Sheffield United players applaud the fans as they celebrate their victory at the end of the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi Final Second Leg match between Sheffield United and Bristol City at Bramall Lane on May 12, 2025 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

With competition for places intensifying ahead of the final, Wilder noted the selection headaches to come: “We could’ve put [Brereton Diaz] on the bench tonight, we could’ve put Femi on the bench tonight. Availability is huge. We’ve got options, everyone’s pushing and there’s going to be some big decisions.”

Looking ahead to the Wembley clash, Wilder admitted that the preparation time will fly as we build up to the one of the biggest games of the football calendar year:

“We’ve got six or seven training sessions left. They’ll fly. It might feel [long] to everybody else but for the players they’ve got to be physically at their peak, live like winners, train like winners and act like winners in these next ten days. Everybody wants to win but some players and some teams want to win a little bit more than others and the details are in the preparation.”