Watch: Manchester United stoop to shock loss in opposition to bottom-placed Sheffield United in EPL

Image Source : GETTY IMAGES Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani of Manchester United in dialog at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening.

Just when Manchester United’s gamers had been beginning to have the look of potential champions, they threw of their sloppiest efficiency of the season to lose to the Premier League’s worst crew.

A 2-1 house loss to last-place Sheffield United not solely prevented Man United from returning to first place on the expense of fierce rival Manchester City. It additionally undid a lot of the spectacular work Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s crew has produced in latest months, exposing its lack of depth and defensive frailties in an alarming 90 minutes at Old Trafford.

“We’re surprised,” Solskjaer stated after United’s first loss within the league since Nov. 1. “We have been essentially the most constant crew the previous few months but it surely simply hit us at the moment.”

Suddenly, it is benefit Man City in a title race that has ebbed and flowed all season. City, which has gained its final seven video games, leads by a degree from United and has a recreation in hand over its neighbor across the midway stage.

A sequence of defensive blunders led to Sheffield United’s deflected 74th-minute winner — scored by Oliver Burke — that additionally enlivened the battle to keep away from relegation.

That’s two victories in three league matches for Chris Wilder’s crew, which was winless till beating Newcastle on Jan. 12 and heading for one of many worst campaigns within the Premier League’s 29-year historical past.

Now, the hole to security is barely 10 factors and the so-called “great escape” could possibly be on.

“We have had to play near-perfect from our point of view against world-class players and a team that is flying high,” Wilder said. “All season we have had pretty tight games and not come out the right side. We took our big moments.”

Man United’s gamers have made a behavior of coming from behind to win video games within the league — they’ve finished so seven occasions, all away from house — however they got here up quick this time in opposition to Sheffield United, conceding a successful aim Solskjaer described as “so poor, so sloppy.”

Goalkeeper David De Gea handed the ball out straight to visiting midfielder John Lundstram, who handed for Burke to have a shot that was blocked by Axel Tuanzebe. Lundstram collected the unfastened ball and once more fed Burke, who was given time and area to ship in a shot that struck the outstretched leg of Tuanzebe and went in off the underside of the crossbar.

That gave Sheffield United the lead for the second time, with Kean Bryan’s Twenty third-minute header from a nook having been canceled out by Harry Maguire’s header, which additionally got here from a nook within the sixty fourth from left-back Alex Telles.

Solskjaer rotated his squad by fielding Tuanzebe, United’s fourth-choice heart again, and Telles whereas resting central midfielders Fred and Scott McTominay, who’ve been instrumental to United’s unbeaten three-month run within the league. Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba frequently misplaced passes in midfield and United missed the presence in assault of Edinson Cavani, who was additionally benched.

“It’s time to stand up and be counted because it’s easy when you are winning football matches,” Maguire said. “When you lose it is about how quickly you bounce back.”

United subsequent performs away to Arsenal on Saturday.

(With inputs from AP.)