Sheffield United 4-0 Fulham: Blades hammer lacklustre champions and comfortably secure play-off spot

Sheffield United made completely sure of their play-off standing as their Bramall Lane fortress was far an excessive amount of for partying Fulham.

Figuring out a win would do, three objectives within the opening 25 minutes wrapped up the three factors as their depth and want blew away the Championship winners.

Morgan Gibbs-White, Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge had Blades followers in celebratory temper effectively earlier than half-time and gearing up for a crack at Nottingham Forest within the play-offs.

Nonetheless, for supporters of the groups making an attempt to deprive them a play-off spot firstly of the day in Middlesbrough and Millwall, this could have made for dispiriting viewing.

Paul Heckingbottom’s facet performed like all the things was on the road; the West Londoners have been right here in physique however their minds have been nonetheless celebrating the title success achieved within the 7-0 romp over Luton at Craven Cottage on Monday, they usually subsided meekly.

Reaching the play-offs caps an amazing turnaround for United since Heckingbottom changed Slavisa Jokanovic on the finish of November.

Hopes of a top-two end had already passed by then as they languished in sixteenth place, however they’ve really picked up extra factors than promoted pair Fulham and Bournemouth since then.

It has all been constructed round a near-impregnable house report of ten wins and only one defeat in 14 video games and they’ll look to make use of that subsequent Saturday after they welcome Forest right here within the first leg of their semi-final.

Cottagers boss Marco Silva had made 5 modifications to the beginning line-up and it solely took the play-off chasers ten minutes to choose them aside as Gibbs-White headed in off the publish from Oliver Norwood’s cross.

It was an eleventh objective of the season for the Wolves loanee, who has come to the fore with accidents to all 4 of Sheffield United’s frontline strikers, however the efforts of goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga to maintain it out can have raised a couple of eyebrows.

For the second objective, midfielder Jean Michael Seri tried a flip in his personal half and slipped, leaving Berge to choose up the items. He labored it to Gibbs-White and onto Ndiaye, who swept it house.

4 minutes later, the Blades once more waltzed by the guests’ backline as Gibbs-White flicked on, Ndiaye was first to the unfastened ball and underneath little strain, rolled it throughout for Norwegian Berge to fit by Gazzaniga’s legs from six yards.

Even Fulham’s much-vaunted assault, which has plundered 106 objectives on their solution to the title, failed to fireside as Fabio Carvalho, in his closing sport earlier than virtually definitely transferring to Liverpool, ought to have pulled one again however he was denied by Wes Foderingham.

That was only a transient respite because the Blades added a fourth early into the second half. Berge squared the ball completely to left wing-back Enda Stevens, in acres of house within the field, and he swept it house.

The Championship’s participant of the season and scorer of an astonishing 43 objectives, Aleksandr Mitrovic, was then taken off after an hour, as Premier League-bound Fulham waved the white flag whereas Neeskens Kebano hit the publish with a late deflected effort.

However on this show and with momentum on their facet, Sheffield United will nonetheless hope they will renew acquaintances with them within the high flight subsequent season.