REPORT: PETERBOROUGH UNITED 0, SHEFFIELD UNITED 2: Posh blunt, Blades sharp as visitors stroll to victory

Where there’s fight, and points deductions, there’s hope I guess, but it will take a lot more than Peterborough United are currently showing to get out of the Championship relegation zone
Kwame Poku of Peterborough United skips past David McGoldrick of Sheffield United. Photo: Joe Dent/theposh.com.Kwame Poku of Peterborough United skips past David McGoldrick of Sheffield United. Photo: Joe Dent/theposh.com.
Kwame Poku of Peterborough United skips past David McGoldrick of Sheffield United. Photo: Joe Dent/theposh.com.

This result would surprise no-one to be fair. The difference in experience at this level was huge, especially with Posh missing five players who would walk into the first team at their best. The difference in wage is also vast and reflected in the levels of athleticism and ability.

The Blades are also armed with parachute payments which made their pre-match position pretty poor, but they have the organisation and the nous to still harbour realistic ambitions of a play-off place.

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Posh tried hard, but after a couple of promising first-half moments, they barely ventured into the opposition penalty area after the break. A win would have taken them out of the relegation zone, but that was never happening.

Once Billy Sharp finished typically sharply in the 54th minute after a Nathan Thompson error it was game over, even though it took an own goal from Posh substitute Callum Morton from a Blades corner 10 minutes from time to secure the points. Posh could have played until Sunday and not scored such was the visitors’ control of the game.

Posh had to make four changes from the team that played well without winning at Birmingham City on Tuesday. Captain Oliver Norburn’s absence was put down to a dead leg rather than a desire to live in Bolton, while Jack Taylor, Harrison Burrows and Mark Beevers also failed to recover from knocks picked up at St Andrews.

Siriki Dembele and Ronnie Edwards were missing again, but there were recalls for Joe Tomlinson, Jorge Grant and Josh Knight, while new signing Jeando Fuchs was handed a debut. The bench was full of attacking players through a lack of choice rather than design and included summer signing Joe Randall.

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Sheffield United, who have still have a chance of the play-offs, were unchanged from their last outing, a 2-0 win over Luton.

And the Blades started the game with a strong tempo, pushing Posh back with the sheer relentlessness of their pressing and passing.

A coupe of early corners led to scrambles and Billy Sharp was inches away from converting Oliver Norwood’s driven cross. Posh ‘keeper Steve Benda had to leave his line to smother a half chance for Iliman Ndaiye.

Posh did settle with Kwame Poku and Bali Mumba enjoying good moments. Poku was nimble enough to ride tackles, but couldn’t quite find the right weight of cross or path. Four minutes before the break his just overhit his pass slightly enabling visiting goalkeeper Wes Foderingham to race off his line to block a shot.

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It would have been a goal against the run of play though. It took Posh 28 minutes to register a shot on goal when debutant Fuchs struck strongly, but straight at Foderingham.

The visitors lost Rhian Brewster to injury, but replacement David McGoldrick almost made his first contribution count with a tricky run followed by a fierce shot that cleared the crossbar.

Jayden Bogle was a constant threat from right wing-back and the Blades found much joy peppering the gaps behind left centre-back Knight. Bogle forced a save from Benda before showing great skill to burst past two defenders before shooting wide.

Thompson and Knight delivered fine blocks as the pressure increased. Benda spilled a Bogle shot, but Posh eventually cleared. The big Blades’ chance arrived five minutes before the break when a corner was taken short and Norwood’s cross found John Egan all alone at the far post. He headed over the bar.

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The second half also started with the visitors on top. Posh defended manfully for the most part, but a mistake is always round the corner this season and Thompson’s decision to intercept a ball dribbling harmlessly towards Benda proved disastrous as Sharp pounced on the lack of control and finished into the corner.

The Blades eased off after that in the knowledge they would come under little threat. They slowed the game down and waited for more mistakes to arrive. Grant obliged by losing possession enabling Sharp to race clear on goal, but he surprisingly failed to beat Benda.

No matter as four minutes later as Chris Basham met a deep corner and headed back across goal where Morton was waiting to divert the ball past his own goalkeeper.

Reading’s defeat earlier in the day eased the pain again. Posh were left hoping that Derby and Cardiff suffered similar fates tomorrow, but they will need to start making their own luck soon,

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Posh: Steven Benda, Joe Tomlinson (sub Joe Ward, 64 mins), Frankie Kent, Nathan Thompson, Josh Knight, Bali Mumba, Jeando Fuchs, Jorge Grant (sub Joel Randall, 79 mins), Kwame Poku, Jack Marriott (sub Callum Morton, 64 mins), Jonson Clarke-Harris.

Unused substitutes: Dai Cornell, Sammie Szmodics, Ricky-Jade Jones, Kyle Barker.

Sheffield United: Wes Foderingham, Jack Robinson, John Egan, Chris Basham, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Conor Hourihane, Oliver Norwood, Jayden Bogle, Iliman Ndiaye (sub John Fleck, 71 mins), Rhian Brewster (sub David McGoldrick, 22 mins), Billy Sharp (sub Ollie McBurnie, 77 mins).

Unused subs: Adam Davies, George Baldock, Sander Berge, Kyron Gordon.

Goals:

Sheffield United - Sharp (54 mins), Morton (og, 80 mins).

Cautions:

Sheffield United - Hourihane (foul).

Referee: Dean Whitestone 8.

Attendance: 10,156